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PRACTICAL 



Exercises in English 



BY 

HUBER GRAY BUEHLER 

MASTER IN ENGLISH IN THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL 



ARRANGED FOR USE WITH 

ADAMS SHERMAN HILL'S 

-FOUNDATIONS OF RHETORIC " 




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NEW YORK 

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

1895 



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Copyright, 1895, by Harper & Brothers. 



All rights reserved. 



PREFACE 



The art of using one's native tongue correctly and for- 
cibly is acquired for the most part through imitation and 
practice, and is not so much a matter of knowledge as of 
habit. As regards English, then, the first duty of our 
schools is to set before pupils excellent models, and, in all 
departments of school-work, to keep a w r atchful eye on 
the innumerable acts of expression, oral and written, which 
go to form habit. Since, however, pupils come to school 
with many of their habits of expression already formed on 
bad models, our schools must give some attention to the 
special work of pointing out common errors of speech, and 
of leading pupils to convert knowledge of these errors into 
new and correct habits of expression. This is the branch 
of English teaching in which this little book hopes to be 
useful. 

All the "Exercises in English" with which I am ac- 
quainted consist chiefly of " sentences to be corrected." 
To such exercises there are grave objections. If, on the 
one hand, the fault in the given sentence is not seen at a 
glance, the pupil is likely, as experience has shown, to pass 
it by and to change something that is not wrong. If, on 



iv PREFACE 

the other hand, the fault is obvious, the exercise has no 
value in the formation of habit. Take, for example, two 
" sentences for correction " which I select at random from 
one of the most widely used books of its class : " I knew it 
was him," and " Sit the plates on the table." A pupil of 
any wit will at once see that the mistakes must be in 
"him" and "sit," and knowing that the alternatives are 
"he" and "set," he will at once correct the sentences 
without knowing, perhaps, why one form is wrong, the 
other right. He has not gained anything valuable ; he has 
simply " slid " through his exercise. Moreover, such " sen- 
tences for correction " violate a fundamental principle of 
teaching English by setting before the impressionable 
minds of pupils bad models. Finally, such exercises are 
unnatural, because the habit which we hope to form in 
our pupils is not the habit of correcting mistakes, but 
the habit of avoiding them. 

Correct English is largely a matter of correct choice be- 
tween two or more forms of expression, and in this book 
an attempt has been made, as a glance at the pages will 
show, to throw the exercises, whenever possible, into a form 
consistent with this truth. Though a pupil may change 
"who" to "whom" without knowing why, he cannot 
repeatedly choose correctly between these forms without 
strengthening his own habit of correct expression. 

This book has been prepared primarily as a companion 
to Professor A. S. Hill's "Foundations of Rhetoric," in 
answer to the request of many teachers for exercises to 



PREFACE v 

use with that admirable work. 1 Without the friendly en- 
couragement of Professor Hill the task would not have 
been undertaken, and to him above all others I am indebted 
for assistance in completing it. He has permitted me to 
draw freely on his published works ; he has provided me 
with advance sheets of the revised edition of " Principles 
of Rhetoric ;" he has put at my disposal much useful mate- 
rial gleaned from his own experience; he has read the 
manuscript and proofs, and, without assuming any respon- 
sibility for shortcomings, he has suggested many improve- 
ments. I am also indebted to Mr. E. G. Coy, Headmaster 
of the Hotchkiss School, for many valuable suggestions, 
and to my colleague, Mr. J. E. Barss, for assistance in the 
proof-reading. 

The quotations from " The Century Dictionary " are made 
under an arrangement with the owners of the copyright 
of that work. I am also indebted to Professor Barrett 
Wendell, Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., and Messrs. 
Macmillan & Co. for permission to use brief quotations 

from their works. 

H. G. B. 

Lakeville, Conn., September, 1895. 

1 See Appendix : Suggestions to Teachers. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. GOOD USE 3 

II. ARTICLES 12 

III. NOUNS 16 

IV. PRONOUNS 43 

V. VERBS 61 

VI. ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 1G9 

VII. PREPOSITIONS 134 

VIII. CONJUNCTIONS 142 

APPENDIX 151 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 



PRACTICAL 
EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 



CHAPTER I. 
OF GOOD USE 

Why is it that for the purposes of English composition 
one word is not so good as another? To this question we 
shall get a general answer if we examine the effect of cer- 
tain classes of expressions. 

Present Use. — Let us examine first the effect produced 
by three passages in the authorized version of the Eng- 
lish Bible — a version made by order of King James in 
1611:— 

"For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet 
there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor 
harvest " (Gen. xlv. 6). 

H ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? 
how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?" (Psa. iv. 2). 

" Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I 
purposed to come unto you, but was let hitherto " (Rom. i. 13). 

See also Gen. xxv. 29; Matt. iii. 8; Acts viii. 3; 1 Thess. iv. 15. 

An ordinary reader of our time cannot without assist- 
ance fully understand these passages, because the words 
" earinsr " " leasing," and " let " convev to his mind either 
no idea at all or a wrong idea. Two hundred and eighty 



4 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

years ago, when this translation of the Bible was made, 
these words were common w r ords with plain meanings ; but 
"earing" and " leasing" have since dropped out of com- 
mon use, and "let" has acquired a different meaning; con- 
sequently an ordinary reader of the present time must 
consult a dictionary before he can be sure what the pas- 
sages mean. Words and meanings which have gone out 
of use are called obsolete. There is not much temptation to 
use obsolete words; but the temptation sometimes comes. 
Therefore we note, as our first conclusion, that a person 
who wishes to be understood must avoid expressions and 
meanings which are not m present use. 

National Use. — A boy from southern Pennsylvania was 
visiting in New York State. In the midst of some prep- 
arations for a fishing excursion he said to his host, "Shall 
I take my gums along?" His host burst out laughing and 
said, " Of course ; did you think of taking them out of 
your mouth and leaving them at home?" 1 Unconsciously 
the boy had used a good English word in a sense peculiar 
to the district in which he lived ; his host had understood 
the word in its proper sense. 

On another occasion a gentleman who had just arrived 
at a hotel in Kennebunkport, Me., agreed to a proposal to 
"go down to the beach in the barge. 11 Going to his room, 
he prepared for a little excursion on the river which flowed 
by the hotel. When he returned, he was greatly surprised 
to find his friends about to start for the beach in a large 
omnibus. Another gentleman once asked a young lady to 
go "riding" with him. At the appointed hour he drove 
to her house in a buggy, and she came down to meet him 
in her riding habit. 

These incidents show that if we use expressions that 

1 This and the two following incidents are from the writer's own obser- 
vation. 



OF GOOD USE 5 

are only local, or use words, in local senses, we are liable 
either to be misunderstood or not to be understood at all. 
Obscurity also arises from the use of words in senses which 
are peculiar to a certain class or profession. For example, 
to a person who is not familiar with commercial slang, 
this sentence from the market columns of a newspaper is a 
puzzle : — 

"Java coffees are dull and easy, though they are statistically 
strong." 

The following directions for anchoring in a gale of wind 
are taken from a book called " How to Sail a Boat " : — 

" When everything is ready, bring the yacht to the icind, and let 
the sails shake in ths wind's eye; and, so soon as she gets stern-way, 
let go the best bower anchor, taking care not to snub lier too quickly, 
but to let considerable of the cable run out before checking her; then 
take a turn or two around the knight-7ieads," etc. 

If a landsman's safety depended on his understand- 
ing these directions, there would not be much hope for 
him. 

The following extract is from a newspaper report of a 
game of ball: — 

"In the eighth inning Anson jumped from one box into the other 
and whacked a wide one into extreme right. It was a three-base jolt 
and was made when Gastright intended to force the old man to first. 
The Brooklyns how r led and claimed that Anson was out, but McQuaid 
thought differently. Both teams were crippled. Lange will be laid 
up for a week or so. One pitcher was batted out of the box." 

This narrative may seem commonplace to school-boys, 
but to their mothers and sisters it must seem alarm- 
ing. 

Our second conclusion, therefore, is that a person who 
wishes to be understood must avoid words and phrases that 
are not understood, and understood in the same sense, in 



6 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

every part of the country, and in every class or profes- 
sion. 1 

Reputable Use. — Let us examine now the effect produced 
by a third kind of expression, namely, words and phrases 
"not used by writers and speakers of established reputa- 
tion." 2 Let us take as our illustrations the familiar ex- 
pressions, "He done it" and "Please set in this seat." 
Each of these expressions is common at the present time, 
and its meaning is instantly clear to any one who speaks 
English. But these expressions, not being used by well- 
informed and careful speakers, produce in the mind of a 
well-informed hearer an impression of vulgarity like that 
which we get from seeing a person eat with his knife. In 
language, as in manners and fashions, the law is found in 
the custom of the best people ; and persons who wish to 
be classed as cultivated people must speak and write like 
cultivated people. There is no moral wrong in a person's 
saying " Please set in this seat," and if he does say it he 
will probably be understood ; but persons who use this or 
any other expression which is not in reputable use run the 
risk of being classed as ignorant, affected, or vulgar. 

Good Use. — It appears, therefore, that words and phrases, 
in order to be proper expressions for use in English prose, 
(1) must be in common use at the present time ; (2) they 
must be used, and used in the same sense, in every part 
of the country, and in every class and profession; (3) 
they must be expressions used by writers and speakers of 
established reputation. In other words, our expressions 
must be in present, national, and reputable use. Expres- 
sions which fulfil these three conditions are said to be in 
good use. 

The next question that presents itself to one who wishes 

1 A. S. Hill : Foundations of Rhetoric, p. 28. 

2 Ibid., p. 20. 



OF GOOD USE 7 

to use English correctly is, How am I to know what words 
and expressions are in good use? 

Conversation and Good Use. — Good use cannot be de- 
termined solely by observing the conversation of our 
associates ; for the chances are that they use many local 
expressions, some slang, and possibly some vulgarisms. 
"You often hear it" is not proof that an expression is in 
good use. 

Newspapers and Good Use. — Nor can good use be 
learned from what we see in newspapers. Newspapers of 
high rank contain from time to time,, especially in their 
editorial columns, some of the best modern prose, and 
much literature that has become standard was first printed 
in periodicals; but most of the prose in newspapers is 
written necessarily by contributors who do not belong to 
the class of " speakers or writers whom the world deems 
the best." As the newspaper in its news records the life 
of every day, so in its style it too frequently records the 
slang of daily life and the faults of ordinary conversation. 
A newspaper contains bits of English prose from hundreds 
of different pens, some skilled, some unskilled; and this 
jumble of styles does not determine good use. 

No one Book or Writer Decisive. — Nor is good use to 
be learned from our favorite author, unsupported by other 
authority; not even, as w T e have seen, from the English 
Bible, when it stands alone. No writer, even the greatest, 
is free from occasional errors ; but these accidental slips are 
not to be considered in determining good use. Good use 
is decided by the prevailing usage of the writers whose 
works make up permanent English literature, not by their 
inadvertencies. " The fact that Shakspere uses a word, or 
Sir Walter Scott, or Burke, or Washington Irving, or whor 
ever happens to be writing earnestly in Melbourne or Sid- 
ney, does not make it reputable. The fact that all Hive of 



8 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

these authorities use the word in the same sense would go 
very far to establish the usage. On the other hand, the 
fact that any number of newspaper reporters agree in 
usage does not make the usage reputable. The style of 
newspaper reporters is not without merit; it is very rarely 
unreadable ; but for all its virtue it is rarely a well of Eng- 
lish undefiled." l 

"Reputable use is fixed, not by the practice of those 
whom A or B deems the best speakers or writers, but by 
the practice of those whom the world deems the best, — 
those who are in the best repute, not indeed as to thought, 
but as to expression, the manner of communicating thought. 
The practice of no one writer, however high he may stand 
in the public estimation, is enough to settle a point; but 
the uniform or nearly uniform practice of reputable speak- 
ers or writers is decisive." 2 

Good Reading the Foundation of Good Speaking and 
Writing. — To the question how to become familiar with 
good use the first answer is, read the best literature. 
Language, like manners, is learned for the most part by 
imitation ; and a person who is familiar with the language 
of reputable writers and speakers will use good English 
without conscious effort, just as a child brought up among 
refined people generally has good manners without know- 
ing it. Good reading is indispensable to good speaking or 
writing. Without this, rules and dictionaries are of no 
avail. In reading the biographies of eminent writers, it is 
interesting to note how many of them were great readers 
when they were young ; and teachers can testify that 
the best writers among their pupils are those who have 
read good literature or who have been accustomed to 
hear good English at home. The student of expression 

1 Barrett Wendell : English Composition, p. 21. 

2 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 16. 



OF GOOD USE 9 

should begin at once to make the acquaintance of good 
literature. 

The Use of Dictionaries. — To become acquainted with 
good literature, however, takes a long time ; and to decide, 
by direct reference to the usage of the best writers, every 
question that arises in composition, is not possible for be- 
ginners. In certain cases beginners must go to dictionaries 
to learn what good use approves. Dictionaries do not make 
good use, but by recording the facts learned by professional 
investigators they answer many questions regarding it. To 
one who wishes to speak and write well a good dictionary 
is indispensable. 

"The Foundations of Rhetoric." — Dictionaries, however, 
are not always a sufficient guide; for, being records, they 
aim to give all the senses in which a word is used, and 
do not always tell which sense is approved by the best 
usage. Large dictionaries contain many words which 
have gone out of good use and other words which have not 
yet come into good use. Moreover, they treat of words 
only, not of constructions and long expressions. Additional 
help in determining good use is required by beginners, and 
this help is to be found in such books as Professor A. S. 
Hill's "Foundations of Rhetoric." The investigations of 
a specialist are there recorded in a convenient form, with 
particular reference to the needs of beginners and of those 
who have been under the influence of bad models. Com- 
mon errors are explained and corrected, and the funda- 
mental merits of good expression are set forth and illus- 
trated. 

Purpose of these Exercises.— In the following exercises, 
which are intended for drill on some of these elements of 
good expression, care has been taken to put the questions 
into the forms in which they arise in actual composition. 
The notes which precede the exercises are only hints; for 
I* 



10 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 



full discussions of the principles involved the student must 
consult larger works. 

Some Convenient Names 

Phrases that have gone out of use, said 
to be archaic or obsolete. 

Brand-new words w T hich have not be- 
come established in good use: as, "bur- 
glarize," "enthuse," "electrocute." 

Phrases introduced from foreign coun- 
tries (called foreignisms, alienisms), or 
peculiar to some district or province 
(called provincialisms). A phrase in- 
troduced from France is called a Galli- 
cism; from England, an Anglicism. A 
phrase peculiar to America is called an 
Americanism. Similarly we have the 
terms Latinism, Hellenism, Teutonism, 
etc. All these names may be applied 
also to certain kinds of Improprieties 
and Solecisms. 



Barbarisms : Words and 
phrases not English; i.e., 
not authorized by good 
English use. The name 
comes from a Greek 
word meaning " for- 
eign," 



Improprieties: Good "1 
English words or phrases 
used in wrong senses: 
as, "I guess I'll go to 
bed;" "He is stopping 
for a week at the Berk- 
shire Inn." 



Most errors in the use of English 
are Improprieties, which are far more 
Y common than Barbarisms and Sole- 
cisms. No classification of them is here 
attempted. 



Solecisms : Constructions not English, commonly called cases of 
"bad grammar" or "false syntax": as, "She invited Mrs. Koe and 
I to go driving with her." "Solecism" is derived from Soli, the 
name of a Greek tribe who lived in Cilicia and spoke bad Greek. 

Slang is a general name for current, vulgar, unauthorized language. 
It may take the form of barbarism, impropriety, or solecism. 

A Colloquialism is an expression peculiar to familiar conversa- 
tion. 

A Vulgarism is an expression peculiar to vulgar or ignorant 
people. 



OF GOOD USE 11 

EXERCISE I. 

1. Make a list of the provincial expressions you can tbink of, and 
give their equivalents in national English. 

2. Make a list of the slang or vulgar expressions you can think of, 
and give their equivalents in reputable English. 

3. Make a list of the words, forms, and phrases not in present use 
which you can find in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, 
authorized version, and give their equivalents in modern English. 

EXERCISE II. 

Which word in the following pairs should an American prefer? 
Consult Hill's "Foundations of Rhetoric," pp. 28-29: Coal, coals; 
jug, pitcher; street railway, tramway; post-card, postal-card; de- 
pot, station. 

EXERCISE III. 

1. Arrange the following words in two columns, putting in the 
first column words that are in good use, in the second, words that 
are not in good use. Consult Hill's "Foundations of Rhetoric," 
pp. 27-29: Omnibus, succotash, welkin, ere, nee, dep6t, veto, func- 
tion (in the sense of social entertainment), to pan out, twain, on 
the docket, kine, gerrymander, carven, caucus, steed, to coast (on 
sled or bicycle), posted (informed), to watch out, right (very). 

2. Give good English equivalents for the words which are not in 
good use. 



CHAPTER II. 

OF ARTICLES 

A or An. 1 — The choice between these forms is determined 
by sound, not by spelling. Before a consonant sound " a " 
is used; before a vowel sound "an" is used. 

EXERCISE IV. 

Put the proper form, "a" or "an," before each of these expres- 
sions: — Elephant, apple, egg, union of states, uniform, uninformed 
person, universal custom, umpire, Unitarian church, anthem, unfor- 
tunate man, united people, American, European, Englishman, one, 
high hill, horse, honorable career, hypocrite, humble spirit, honest 
boy, hypothesis, history, historical sketch, heir, hundred, hereditary 
disease, household. 

The or A. 2 — "The" is a broken-down form of the old 
English thvety from which we also get " that," and is used 
to point out some particular person, thing, or class : as, 
" The headmaster of the school gave the boys permission." 
When " the " is used before the name of a particular class 
of persons or things it is called the " generic" article (from 
genus, "a class"): as, "None but the brave deserve the 
fair"; " The eagle is our national bird." 

" An" ("a") is a broken-down form of the old English 
word ane, meaning "one." It is properly used when the 
object is thought of as one of a class: as, "There is an 
eagle in the zoological garden." It cannot properly be used 
before a word which is used as a class name, because a class 
name includes in its meaning more than " one." 

1 " Foundations," pp. 32-33. 

2 Ibid., pp. 33-34. 



OF ARTICLES 13 

Superfluous and Omitted Articles. 1 — The use of a super- 
fluous "a" or "an" before a class name, especially after 
the words " sort " and " kind," is a common and obstinate 
error. We may say, "This is an eagle," meaning "one 
eagle." But we may not say, a An eagle is our national 
bird," "This is a rare kind of an eagle," or, "It is not 
worthy of the name of an eagle"; because in these sen- 
tences " eagle " is used as the name, not of a single bird, but 
of a class of birds, and includes in its meaning all the birds 
which belong to the class called "eagle." The sentences 
are equivalent to : " The kind of bird called ' eagle ' is our 
national bird ;" "This is a rare species of the class of birds 
called ' eagle ;^ " " It is not worthy of the name given to the 
birds which belong to the class called c eagle.' " 

EXERCISE V. 

Tell the difference in meaning between : — 

1. The (a) house is on fire. 

2. Yes, I heard (the) shouts in the street. 

3. About eight o'clock (the) guests began to come. 

4. Yes, I heard (the) noises in the next room. 

5. The (an) elephant stood on a cask, and the (a) clown sat on the 
elephant's back. 

6. The President has appointed a commission to investigate the 
cause of (the) strikes. 

7. Will he let us look at (the) stars through the (a) telescope? 

8. (The) teacher and (the) pupil are interested in this question. 

9. He told us about an (the) accident. 

10. Fire is beautiful. The fire is beautiful. 

11. He was a better scholar than (an) athlete. 

12. A young and (a) delicate girl. 

13. He liked the bread and (the) butter. 

14. A pink and (a) lavender gown. 

15. The wise and (the) good. 

16. Wanted, a cook and (a) housemaid. 

17. The black and (the) white cow. 

1 "Foundations," pp. 34-39. 



14 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

18. The athlete, (the) soldier, (the) statesman, and (the) poet. 

19. A secretary and (a) treasurer. 

20. The corresponding and (the) recording secretary. 

21. The honest, (the) wise, and (the) patriotic senators voted against 
the bill. 

22. A cotton and (a) silk umbrella. 

23. The tenth and (the) last chapter. 

EXERCISE VI. 

Insert the proper article ("a," " an" or "the") in each blank place 
in the following, if an article is needed ; if no article is needed, learn 
the place olank : — 

1. I began to suffer from — want of food. 

2. There are two articles, the definite and — indefinite. 

3. He did not say what kind of — horse he wanted to buy. 

4. Did Macaulay die of — heart disease ? 

5. Nouns have two numbers, — singular and — plural. 

6. — third and — fourth page are to be learned. 

7. — third and — fourth pages are to be learned. 

8. Many names of — states are derived from — Indian tongues. 

9. This is a curious species of — rose. 

10. Study carefully — first and — second chapters. 

11. A black and — wmite boy were walking together. 

12. — violet is my favorite flower ; — robin, my favorite bird. 

13. There is an impenetrable veil between — visible and — invis- 
ible world. 

14. — lion is — king of beasts. 

15. Thackeray was a greater writer than — artist. Thackeray was 
greater as — writer than as — artist. 

16. The bank closed its doors from — lack of ready money. 

17. I despise not — giver, but — gift. 

18. — whole is greater than any of its parts. 

19. He is entitled to the name of — scholar. 

20. I do not use that sort of — pen. 

21. In — warm weather you do not need so many wraps as in — 
cold weather. 

22. The Queen conferred on Tennyson the title of — baron. 

23. It does not matter what kind of — man is appointed. 

24. It is found in both — old and — new editions. 



OF ARTICLES 15 

25. The fourth and — fifth verse. 

26. The fourth and — fifth verses. 

27. Franklin was — great and — good man. 

28. — families of — strikers are sadly in — need of food. 

29. Here are two bottles, — one empty, — other full of — red 
liquid. 

30. Ariel had — power to control — sea. 

31. Evangeline travelled far in — search of Gabriel. 

32. Illustrate by an original sentence — preterite and — past par- 
ticiple of the following verbs. 

33. To — student of Latin or Greek a knowledge of — difference 
in meaning in English between — indicative and — subjunctive is 
especially important. 

34. In the verb "to be" — present and — past subjunctives have 
different forms. 

35. — life in Madras in — time of Clive was different from what it 
is now. 

36. I like so many sports that it is hard to tell which I like — best. 
I like swimming, foot-ball, and riding more than — others, but I do 
not know which of these three I like — best. 



CHAPTER III. 

OF NOUNS 

How to Form the Possessive Case. 1 — As a rule, the pos- 
sessive of nouns in the singular number is formed by add- 
ing an apostrophe and "s" ('s): as, "The boy's coat." 
Often the pronunciation of the added " s " makes a new 
syllable ; and if this additional syllable makes an unpleas- 
ant sound, the possessive is indicated by the apostrophe 
alone ('): as, "For goodness 1 sake." The putting in or 
the leaving out of the "s" in such cases is chiefly a matter 
of taste. If the "s" is sounded, it is always written ; and 
whenever there is doubt, it is well to follow the regular 
rule: as, " Horace's odes," "Charles's ball," "Dickens's 
David Copperfield." 

In the plural number, when the nominative plural ends 
in " s," the possessive case is formed by adding an apos- 
trophe alone ( ' ). If the nominative plural does not end in 
" s," an apostrophe and an " s " ('s) are both added, as in 
the singular: as, "Men's and hoys' shoes." 

The possessive case of compound nouns and expressions 
used as compound nouns is formed by adding the proper 
sign of the possessive to the end of the compound : as, 
"That is my sister-in-law's pony," "This is the Prince of 
Wales's palace." 

EXERCISE VII. 2 

1. Write the possessive case, singular and plural, of: Actor, king, 
fairy, calf, child, goose, lady, monkey, mouse, ox, woman, deer, eagle, 
princess, elephant, man, witness, prince, fox, farmer, countess, mouth, 
horse, day, year, lion, wolf, thief, Englishman. 

1 " Foundations," pp. 41-43. 

2 To the Teacher, — To have its full value this should be given as a dic- 
tation exercise. 



OF NOUNS 17 

2. Write the possessive case of: James, Dickens, his sister Mary, 
Miss Austen, the Prince of Wales, Frederick the Great, Harper and 
Brothers, father-in-law, Charles, Jones, William the Conqueror, 
Henry the Eighth, man-of-war, Douglas, Eggleston and Company. 

Use and Misuse of the Possessive Case. 1 — It is sometimes 
a question whether to use the possessive form or the prep- 
osition of. " As a general rule, the possessive case should 
be confined to cases of possession.' 52 

EXERCISE VIII. 

Express relation between the words in the following pairs by putting 
one of them in the possessive case or by using the preposition "of," 
as may seem best : — 

Charles the Second, reign; witness, testimony; horse, hoof; the 
President, public reception; Partridge, restaurant; aide-de-camp, 
horse; General Armistead, death; Henry the Eighth, wives; Napo- 
leon, Berlin decree; teacher, advice ; eagle, talons; enemy, repulse; 3 
book, cover; princess, evening gowns; France, army; Napoleon, de- 
feat; Napoleon, camp -chest; Major Andre, capture; Demosthenes, 
orations; gunpowder, invention; mountain, top; summer, end; Wash- 
ington, sword; Franklin, staff; torrent, force; America, metropolis; 
city, streets; strike, beginning; church, spire; we (our, us), midst; 
year, events; Guiteau, trial; sea, bottom; Essex, death; Adams, ad- 
ministration; six months, wages ; world, government. 

EXERCISE IX. 

Distinguish between the following : — 

1. The President's reception. The reception of the President. 

2. Mother's love. Love of mother. 

3. A sister's care. Care of a sister. 

4. A brother's picture. The picture of a brother. 

5. Clive's reception in London. The reception of Clive in London. 

6. Charles and Harry's toys. Charles's and Harry's toys. 

7. Let me tell you a story of Doctor Brown (Brown's). 

1 "Foundations," pp. 43-44. 

2 Ibid., p. 44. 

3 There is, properly, no " objective possessive " in English corresponding 
to the " objective genitive " in other languages. It seems best to say " The 
siege of Paris," rather than " Paris's siege." 



18 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

EXERCISE X. 

Correct the following, giving the reason for each correction: — 

1. A dog and a cat's head are differently shaped. 

2. Whose Greek grammar do you prefer — Goodwin or Hadley ? 

3. It is neither the captain nor the manager's duty. 

4. I consulted Webster, Stormonth, and Worcester's dictionary. 

5. I like Hawthorne better than Irving's style. 

6. John, Henry, and William's nose resembled one another. 

7. The novel is one of Scott. 

8. I have no time to listen to either John or Joseph's talk. 

Singular and Plural. 1 — In modern English most nouns 
form the plural by adding "s" to the singular. The fol- 
lowing variations from this rule are important: — 

1. When the added sound of "s" makes an additional syllable, 
"es" is used: as, box, boxes; church, churches. 

2. Nouns ending in "o." If the final " o " is preceded by a vowel, 
the plural is formed regularly, i.e., by adding * ' s " : as, cameo, cameos. 
If the final " o " is preceded by a consonant, the tendency of modern 
usage is to form the plural by adding " es": as, hero, heroes; pota- 
to, potatoes. The following common words, however, seem still to 
form the plural by adding " s" alone: — 

canto lasso proviso torso 

duodecimo memento quarto tyro 

halo octavo solo 

junto piano stiletto 

3. Nouns ending in "y." If the "y" is preceded by a vowel, the 
plural is regular: as, valley, valleys. 

If the " y " is preceded by a consonant, " y " is changed to " i" and 
" es " is added to form the plural: as, lady, ladies; city, cities. 

4. Proper nouns are changed as little as possible : as, Henry, 
Henrys; Mary, Marys; Cicero, Ciceros; Nero, JSTeros. 

5. Most compound nouns form the plural by adding the proper 
sign of the plural to the fundamental part of the word, i.e., to the 
part which is described by the rest of the phrase : as, ox-cart, ox- 
carts; court-martial, courts-martial; aide-de-camp, aides-de-camp. 

Note the difference between the plural and the possessive of compound 
nouns, — forms which are often confounded. See page 16. 

1 " Foundations," pp. 45-47. 



OF NOUNS 19 

6. Letters, figures, and other symbols are made plural by adding 
an apostrophe and "s" ('s) : as, "There are more e's than cCs in this 
word"; "Dot your i's and cross your fa." 

7. Some nouns have two plurals, which differ in meaning: — 

Singular. Plural. 

brother brothers (by birth), brethren (of a society). 

die dies (for coining or stamping), dice (for play). 

fish fishes (separate fish), fish (collective). 

index indexes (in books), indices (in algebra). 

penny pennies (separate coins), pence (sum of money). 

shot shots (discharges), shot (balls). 

staff staves (poles), staffs (bodies of assistants). 

EXERCISE XI. 1 

Write the plural of: Lash, cage, race, buffalo, echo, canto, volcano, 
portfolio, ally, money, solo, memento, mosquito, bamboo, ditch, chim- 
ney, man, Norman, 2 Mussulman, city, negro, baby, calf, man-of-war, 
attorney, goose -quill, canon, quail, mystery, turkey, wife, body, 
snipe, knight-errant, donkey, spoonful, aide-de-camp, Ottoman, com- 
mander-in-chief, major-general, pony, reply, talisman, court-martial, 
father-in-law, court-yard, man-trap, Brahman, journey, Henry, step- 
son, deer, mouthful, Miss Clark, 3 Mr. Jones, Dr. Brown, Dutchman, 
German, forget-me-not, poet-laureate, minister-plenipotentiary, hero, 
fish, trout, Mary, George, bill-of-fare. 

EXERCISE XII. 

Distinguish between : — 

1. Two dice (dies) were found in the prisoner's pockets. 

2. He was always kind to his brothers (brethren). 

3. How many shot (shots) did you count? 

4. He carried two pailfuls (pails full) of water up the hill. 

5. I have two handfuls (hands full) of gold-dust. 

6. He gave the beggar six pennies (pence). 

7. There are serious errors in the indexes (indices) in this new Algebra. 

8. Ten shot (shots) were fired from the gun in fifteen minutes. 

1 To the Teacher. — To have its full value this should be given as a dic- 
tation exercise. 2 Consult a dictionary for this and similar nouns. 

3 Proper names preceded by a title are made plural by changing either 
the name or the title, and using " the " before the expression. We may 
say "the Miss Smiths" or "the Misses Smith," "the Doctors Young" or 
" the Doctor Youngs." 



20 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

EXERCISE XIII. 

Which of the following forms should be used? Consult HilVs 
" Foundations," pp. 45-47 : — 

1. The members of the committee were greatly alarmed at this 
(these) news. 

2. Tidings was (were) brought to them of the massacre on Snake 
Eiver. 

3. The endowment of the college was greatly increased by this 
(these) means. 

4. The widow's means was (were) at first large, but it was (they 
were) soon exhausted by the prodigality of her son. 

5. The assets of the company are (is) $167,000. 

6. The dregs in the cup was (were) found to be very bitter. 

7. The eaves of the new house are (is) thirty-two feet above the 
ground. 

8. Athletics are (is) run into the ground in many schools. 

9. Politics is (are) like a stone tied around the neck of literature. 

10. The nuptials of Gratiano and Nerissa were (was) celebrated at 
the same time as those (that) of Bassanio and Portia. 

11. Ethics are (is) becoming more and more prominent in the dis- 
cussions of political economists. 

12. Have you seen my pincers? I have mislaid it (them). 

13. The proceeds was (were) given to the hospital. 

14. His riches took to themselves (itself) wings. 

15. This (these) scissors is (are) not sharp. 

16. Please pour this (these) suds on the rose plants in the oval flower- 
bed. 

17. His tactics was (were) much criticised by old generals. 

18. The United States has (have) informed Spain that it (they) will 
not permit Spanish interference in the affairs of Central America, 



Nouns of Foreign Origin. 1 — The following is a list of 
nouns of foreign origin in common use which have peculiar 
number forms : — 

Singular. Plural. 

alumnus (masculine) alumni 

alumna (feminine) alumnae 

analysis analyses 

bacterium bacteria 

1 ''Foundations," pp. 47-48. 



OF NOUNS 



21 



Singular. 
beau 
cherub 
crisis 

curriculum 
datum 
genus (meaning "class") 

genius 

hypothesis 

oasis 

parenthesis 

phenomenon 

seraph 

stratum 

tableau 

thesis 



Plural. 

beaux 

cherubim (or cherubs) 

crises 

curricula 

data 

genera 

geniuses (persons of great ability) 

genii (spirits) 

hypotheses 

oases 

parentheses 

phenomena 

seraphim (or seraphs) 

strata 

tableaux 

theses 



EXERCISE XIV. 1 

1. Write the plural of: Alumna, analysis, beau, cherub, crisis, cur- 
riculum, genus, genius, hypothesis, nebula, oasis, parenthesis, phe- 
nomenon, synopsis, seraph, stratum, tableau. 

2. Write the singular of: Alumni, curricula, data, bacteria, cheru- 
bim, oases, phenomena, seraphim, strata, theses. 

Gender. — The following nouns of different genders are 
sometimes confounded or otherwise misused : — 



Masculine. 


Feminine. 




Masculine. 


Feminine. 


abbot 


abbess 




gander 


goose 


actor 


actress 




hero 


heroine 


bachelor 


spinster, 


maid 


lion 


lioness 


buck 


doe (f alio 


w deer) 


marquis, marquess 


marchioness 


bullock 


heifer 




monk 


nun 


czar 


czarina 




ram 


ewe 


drake 


duck 




stag, hart 


hind (red deer) 


duke 


duchess 




sultan 


sultana 


earl 


countess 




tiger 


tigress 


Francis 


Frances 




wizard 


witch 



1 To the Teacher. — To have any value this must be given as a dictation 
exercise. 



22 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

EXERCISE XV. 1 

1. Write the feminine word corresponding to: Abbot, actor, bachelor, 
buck, bullock, czar, duke, drake, earl, Francis, hero, lion, marquis, 
monk, ram, stag, sultan, hart, tiger. 

2. Write the masculine word corresponding to : Spinster, duck, doe, 
Frances, goose, heifer, ewe, hind, witch. 

EXERCISE XVI. 

Collect the following sentences: — 

1. The marquess was the executor of her husband's estate. 

2. He married a beautiful actor. 

3. The tiger broke from its cage. 

4. The duck was pluming his feathers after his swim, and the 
goose had wandered from his companions across the meadows. 

5. The baby girl in "The Princess" ma}^ be called the real hero of 
the tale. 

Abbreviations. — For the following exercise consult Hill's 
Foundations of Rhetoric, pp. 49-50. 

EXERCISE XVII. 

Which of these words are in good use? — 

Pianist, harpist, poloist, violinist, phiz, ad, co-ed, curios, exam, cab, 
chum, gent, hack, gym, pants, mob, phone, proxy, photo, prelim, van, 
prof, varsity. 

Misused Nouns. 2 — Many errors in English consist in us- 
ing words in senses which are not authorized. Sometimes 
the use of a word in a wrong sense makes the speaker's 
meaning obscure. Sometimes it makes him seem ridiculous, 
as when a person of the writer's acquaintance told a friend 
to clean an oil-painting by washing it in " torpid " water. 

1 To the Teacher. — This should be used as a dictation exercise. 

2 To the Teacher. — It may not be desirable to drill pupils on all the 
words whose meanings are discriminated here and in chapters V. and VI. 
In that case it will be easy to select for study those words which the pupils 
are most likely to misuse. The words discriminated in this book are for 
the most part those which are mentioned in the '* Foundations of Rhetoric," 
and they have been arranged in the same order. A few other words often 
misused by my pupils have been added. 



OF NOUNS 23 

In every case the misuse of a word leaves an unpleasant 
impression on the mind of a cultivated person, and, like all 
bad English, should be avoided as we avoid bad manners. 
In the following definitions and exercises a few nouns 1 are 
selected for study. The distinctions given are not always 
observed by reputable authors, but they indicate the ten- 
dency of the best modern usage. 

I. A RESEMBLANCE IN SENSE MISLEADS. 2 

House, home.— A house is a building. Home means one's habitual 
abode, " the abiding place of the affections." It may or may not be 
in a house, and it may include the surroundings of a house. 

Person, party.— A person is an individual ; a party is a company of 
persons, or, in legal usage, a person who is concerned in a contention 
or agreement. 

Series, succession.— A series is a succession of similar things mutu- 
ally related according to some law. Succession is properly used of 
several things following one after the other; it denotes order of oc- 
currence only, and does not imply any connection. 

Statement, assertion.— A statement is a formal setting forth of fact 
or opinion ; an assertion is simply an affirmation of fact or opinion. 

Verdict, testimony.— A verdict is a decision made by a number of 
men acting as a single body. Testimony is an expression of individ- 
ual knowledge or belief 

The whole, sAh—The whole is properly used of something which is 
considered as one thing. When a number of persons or things are 
spoken of, the proper word is all. 

EXERCISE XVIII. 

Tell the difference in meaning between the following : — 

1. Mr. Koscoe has no house (home). 

2. The hotel clerk says he expects three more parties (persons) on 
the six o'clock train. 

3. There are three persons (parties) concerned in this contract. 

4. A succession (series) of delays. 

1 For misused verbs and adjectives see pages 61 and 109. 

2 " Foundations," pp. 50-53. 



24 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

5. This morning's papers publish an assertion (a statement) by 
Mr. Pullman, which throws new light on the strike. 

EXERCISE XIX. 

Insert the proper icord in each "blank, and give the reason for your 

choice : — 

House, home. 

1. Whenever a tramp comes to our — , the dog is untied. 

2. His new — will be finished in November. 

3. Mr. S. owns a beautiful — and has a happy — . 

4. One can build a very good — for $6000. 

5. — s are built to live in, not to look on. 

Party, person. 

6. There is another — coming,<on the evening train, but he will 
leave to-morrow. 

7. A cross-looking — alighted from the stage-coach and entered 
the inn. 

8. The cause of both — s shall come before the court. 

9. Is the — that wants a carriage at dinner or in his room? 

10. He is attached to the king's — . 

11. Who was that fat old — who kept us all laughing? 

Series, succession. 

12. The — of Presidents is a long one. 
13 This stamp belongs to the — of 1864. 

14. A — of calamitous events followed this mistake in policy. 

15. A — of accidents prevented the sailing of the yacht. 

Statement, assertion. 

16. The last — of the bank has been examined. 

17. — unsupported by fact is worthless. 

18. The Declaration of Independence contained a clear — of griev- 
ances. 

19. The orator's — was shown to be false. 

Verdict, testimony. 

20. The — of history is that Christianity has improved the condi- 
tion of women. 

21. Let us await the — of the public. 

22. The early Christian martyrs sealed their — with their blood. 

23. The — of those who saw the murder was contradictory. 



OF NOUNS 25 

The whole, all. 

24. — (of) the dishes came tumbling to the floor. 

25. Tell — (the) truth. 

26. Then you and I and — of us fell down. 

27. Washington was respected by — (the) people. 

28. We sold — (of) our apples at sixty cents a bushel. 

29. He has already packed — of his books. 

30. — (the) adornments took an appropriate and sylvan character. 

31. He readily confided to her — (the) papers concerning the in- 
trigue. 

32. In the afternoon — of them got into a boat and rowed across 
the lake. 

II. A RESEMBLANCE IN SOUND MISLEADS. 1 

Acceptance, acceptation.— Acceptance is the " act of accepting "; also 
"favorable reception'': as, "The acceptance of a gift," "She sang 
with marked acceptance." Acceptation now means "the sense in 
which an expression is generally understood or accepted." 

Access, accession.— Access has several meanings authorized by good 
use: (1) outburst; (2) admission; (3) way of entrance. Accession 
means (1) the coming into possession of a right; or (2) an addition. 

Acts, actions.— " Acts, in the sense of ' things done,' is preferable to 
actions, since actions also means ' processes of doing.' " 2 

Advance, advancement.— Advance is used in speaking of something 
as moving forward ; advancement, as being moved forward. 

Allusion, illusion, delusion.— An allusion is an indirect reference to 
something not definitely mentioned. Roughly speaking, an illusion 
is an error of vision; delusion, of judgment. " In literary and popu- 
lar use an illusion is an unreal appearance presented in any way to 
the bodily or the mental vision ; it is often pleasing, harmless, or 
even useful. ... A delusion is a mental error or deception, and may 
have regard to things actually existing, as well as to illusions. De- 
lusions are ordinarily repulsive and discreditable, and may even be 
mischievous." 3 

Avocation, vocation.— "Vocation means 'calling' or 'profession'; 
avocation, ' something aside from one's regular calling, a by-work.' " 4 

1 "Foundations," pp. 53-56. 

2 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 18. 

3 The Century Dictionary. 

4 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 39» 
2 



26 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Completion, completeness. — Completion is "the act of complet- 
ing"; completeness is "the state of being complete." 

Observation, observance.— Observation contains the idea of "looking 
at "; observance, of "keeping," "celebrating." "We speak of the ob- 
servation of a fact, of a star ; of the observance of a festival, of a rule." 1 

Proposal, proposition. — " A proposal is something proposed to be 
done, which may be accepted or rejected. A proposition is- some- 
thing proposed for discussion, with a view to determining the truth 
or wisdom of it." 2 

Relationship, relation.— BelationsJiip properly means "the state of 
being related by kindred or alliance": as, "A relationship existed 
between the two families." Relation is a word of much broader 
meaning. It does not necessarily imply kinship. 

Solicitude, solicitation.— Solicitude is "anxiety"; solicitation is "the 
act of soliciting or earnestly asking." 

Stimulation, stimulus, stimulant.— Stimulation is " the act of stimu- 
lating or inciting to action"; stimulus, originally "a goad," now de- 
notes that which stimulates, the means by which one is incited to 
action; stimulant has a medical sense, being used of that which 
stimulates the body or any of its organs. We speak of ambition as 
a stimulus, of alcohol as a stimulant. 

EXERCISE XX. 

Tell the difference in meaning between — 

1. The acceptance (acceptation) of this word is doubtful. 

2. The acts (actions) of Napoleon were carefully observed. 

3. The colonel's advance (advancement) was not long delayed. 

4. Literature has been Dr. Holmes's avocation (vocation). 

5. The list of African dialects is approaching completeness (com- 
pletion). 

6. The completion (completeness) of this new dictionary of the 
Latin language will make scholars glad. 

7. The professor advised me, when I went to Rome, to be espe- 
cially careful in my observation (observance) of the religious cere- 
monies of Passion Week. 

8. This proposal (proposition) of the Populist senator made both 
Republican and Democratic senators indignant. 

1 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 39. 
' 2 The Century Dictionary. 



OF NOUNS 27 

9. His mother's solicitude (solicitation) induced Washington when 
he was a boy to give up his intention of going to sea. 
10. Shall I give your son a stimulus (stimulant)? 

EXERCISE XXI. 

Insert the proper icord in each blank, and give the reason for your 

clwice : — 

Acceptance, acceptation. 

1. The word " livery" is used in its original — . 

2. This is a true saying and worthy of — . 

3. The — of a trust brings grave responsibility. 

4. He sent to the President a formal — of the position. 

5. The assertion finds — in every rank of society. 

6. In its common — "philosophy" signifies "the search after 
wisdom." 

7. The probability of this theory justifies its full — . 

Access, accession. 

8. We are denied — to the king. 

9. An — of fever occurred at nightfall. 

10. The emperor at his — takes an oath to maintain the constitu- 
tion. 

11. — to the outer court was through a massive door. 

12. The only — which the Roman Empire received was the prov- 
ince of Britain. 

13. A sudden — of violent, burning fever had laid Peter's mother- 
in-law prostrate. 

14. Victoria married after her — to the throne. 

15. This allusion led to a fresh — of feeling. 

Act, action. 

16. I cannot do so cruel an — . 

17. Another mode of — was proposed by him. 

18. The fifth book of the New Testament records the — s of the 
Apostles. 

19. To attempt resistance would be the — of a madman. 

20. The monkey imitates the — s of its master. 

Advance, advancement. 

21. The — of the expedition was impeded by bad roads. 

22. — in the army is slow. 



28 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

23. The Don and his companions, in their eager — , had got en- 
tangled in deep glens. 

24. My old position offered no hope of — . 

25. His hopes of — in England failing, Swift returned to Ireland. 

Allusion, illusion, delusion. 

26. There were two — s in his sermon to the riots. 

27. The cleverest, acutest men are often under an (a) — about 
women. 

28. Longfellow's "Footsteps of Angels" contains — s to the death 
of his wife. 

29. Our judgment of people is liable to be warped by — s of the 
imagination. 

30. Those other words of — and folly, Liberty first and Union 

afterward. 

Avocation, vocation. 

31. Surgeons in the army are allowed by the enemy to pursue their 

— unmolested. 

32. The young lawyer, surrounded by his law-books, took up his 

— with enthusiasm. 

33. Let your base-ball be a pastime, not a trade; let it be your — , 
not your — . 

34. Heaven is a pious man's — , and therefore he counts earthly 
employments — s. 

35. It seems that after his return, his disciples left him and re- 
turned to their ordinary — s. 

Completion, completeness. 

36. The — of the railroad was celebrated by a general illumina- 
tion in the village. 

37. The comfort of passengers is secured by the — of the equip- 
ment of the steamers of this line. 

38. We hope for the — of our new building by September. 

39. We were surprised at the — of the collection of minerals. 

Observation, observance. 

40. The — of a few simple rules of health would have prolonged 
his life. 

41. The North American Indian has great powers of — . 

42. He insisted on the prompt — of the regulations. 

43. The Pharisees were strict in their — of religious festivals. 

44. He is arranging for a careful — of the eclipse. 



OF NOUNS 29 

Proposal, proposition. 

45. I submit two — s for consideration by the assembly. 

46. The — that each of us relinquish something was accepted. 

47. Sealed — s for building the cottage were handed in by three 
contractors. 

48. He made a — of marriage to her. 

49. I dissent from that — . 

50. A nation dedicated to the — that all men are created equal. 

Solicitude, solicitation. 

51. He made frequent — for money and clothes. 

52. My mother watched over my infancy with tender — . 

53. Coriolanus yielded at the — of his mother. 

Stimulus, stimulant, stimulation. 

54. He worked hard under the — of a desire to get rich. 

55. The providential — of conscience is always present. 

56. The doctor came and administered a gentle — to the patient. 

III. ADDITIONAL NOUNS SOMETIMES MISUSED.* 

Ability, capacity.— Ability is the power of doing ; capacity, the pow- 
er of containing, of understanding, of acquiring. 

Adherence, adhesion. —Adherence is used of moral relations, adhe- 
sion, of physical connection. We speak of the adhesion of glue to 
wood, of a man's adherence to the principles of his party. 

Amount, quantity, number.— A mount means "sum total," and is 
used of numbers or quantities; quantity is used of things which are 
measured ; number, of things which are counted. 

Argument, plea— "Plea (in the legal sense) is properly used of the 
pleadings or the arraignment before a trial, not of the argument at 
a trial. A plea is always addressed to the court ; an argument may 
be addressed either to the court or to the jury. A similar remark 
applies to the verbs plead and argue." 2 

Balance, rest, remainder.— Balance, meaning "the difference be- 
tween two sides of an account," is a commercial term, and cannot 
properly be used for rest or remainder. Best is used of persons or 

i "Foundations," p. 56. If it seem undesirable to drill pupils on all 
the words which are here discriminatea, the teacher may select those words 
which they are most likely to misuse. See note 2, p. 22. 

2 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 40. 



30 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

things, and of large as well as of small parts. Bemainder is used 
only of things, and denotes a comparatively small part. 

Centre, middle.— The centre is a point, or a definite place; the middle 
is a line, or a space, and is less definite than centre. 

Character, reputation.— C haracter is what a man is; reputation is 
the prevailing opinion of his character. 

Complement, compliment. — A complement is a "full quantity or 
number" or "that which is needed to complete"; a compliment is 
"an expression of praise." 

Conscience, consciousness. — Conscience is that within us which dis- 
tinguishes right from wrong. Consciousness is the state of being- 
aware of one's existence, thoughts, and surroundings. 

Council, counsel.— A council is " a body of persons convened for 
consultation." Counsel denotes "advice," or " a person, as a lawyer, 
engaged to give advice." 

Custom, habit.— Custom denotes the frequent repetition of the same 
act, and may be used of a number of persons taken together. Habit 
is the effect of custom in a person. Custom is voluntary; habit is 
involuntary, often uncontrollable, sometimes unconscious. 

Deception, deceit.— Deception is "the act of deceiving"; deceit is 
"deceitfulness," a trait of character; or a " trick," an "artifice." 

Egoists, egoism, egotism.— " The disciples of Descartes were egoists, 
the ego being the basis of their philosophy. " Egoism is the name of 
their system. Egoism is sometimes used also in the sense of undue 
admiration of self, the outward expression of which is egotism. But 
"egotism, in the sense of 'self -worship,' is preferable to egoism, since 
egoism also designates a system of philosophy." l 

Emigration, immigration.— Emigration is the moving out from a 
country ; immigration, the moving into it. Foreigners who come to 
live in America are emigrants from their fatherland, immigrants to 
America. 

Enormity, enormousness.— "Enormity is used of deeds of unusual 
horror ; enormousness, of things of unusual size. We speak of the 
enm^mity of Coesar Borgia's crimes, of the enormousness of the Roth- 
schilds' wealth." 2 

Esteem, estimate, estimation.— Esteem as a noun seems to be going 
out of use ; the word now commonly used in the sense of "opinion " 

1 k. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 

2 Ibid., p. 38. 



OF NOUNS 31 

or "regard" is estimation. An estimate is ''an approximate judg- 
ment, based on considerations of probability, of the number, amount, 
magnitude, or position of anything.''' 

Falsity, falseness.— i( Falsity, in the sense of ' non - conformity to 
truth,' without any suggestion of blame, is preferable to falseness, 
since falseness usually implies blame." l 

Identity, identification.— Identity is "the state of being the same." 
Identification denotes "the act of determining what a given thing, 
or who a given person, is." 

Import, importance.— Import, in the sense of "meaning," must be 
distinguished from importance, "the quality of being important." 

Invent, discover.— We invent something new, contrived or produced 
for the first time. We discover what existed before, but remained un- 
known . 

Limit, limitation.— Limit, in the sense of "bound," is preferable to 
limitation, since limitation also means " the act of limiting," or a 
"restriction." 

Lot, number.— Lot denotes "a distinct part or parcel": as, "The 
auctioneer sold the goods in ten lots" The word does not mean "a 
great number"; therefore it is improperly used in the sentences : "He 
has lots of money," and " I know a lot of people in New York." 

Majority, plurality.— A majority is more than half the whole num- 
ber ; a plurality is the excess of votes given for one candidate over 
those given for another, and is not necessarily a majority when there 
are more than two candidates. 

Negligence, neglect.— "Negligence is used of a habit or trait; neglect, 
of an act or succession of acts." 2 

Novice, novitiate.— Novice properly means one who is new in any 
business or calling; novitiate, the state or time of being a novice. 

Organism, organization.— An organism is a " living body composed 
of a number of essential parts." Organization denotes "the act of 
organizing," or "an organized body of persons," as a literary so- 
ciety. 

Part, portion. — " Part is the general word for that which is less 
than the whole : as, the whole is equal to the sum of all \\& parts. . . . 
Portion is often used in a stilted way where part would be simpler 
and better ; portion has always some suggestion of allotment or as- 

1 A. S. Hill : Principles of Khetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 

2 Ibid., p. 39. 



32 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

signment: as, this is my portion ; a portion of Scripture. 'Father, 
give me tbe portion of goods that falleth to me.' " l 

Plenty, abundance.— Plenty is enough ; abundance, more than enough. 

Produce, product, production.— Produce is always collective, and is 
used only of raw products : as, the produce of the soil, of the flock. 
Product denotes the result of some operation, usually physical labor. 
Production, meaning ''the act of producing," is also applied to a 
work of literature or art, as a book, a statue, or a painting. " Prod- 
uct, in the sense of * thing produced/ is preferable to production, since 
production is also used in an abstract sense." 2 

Prominence, predominance.— Prominence means "a standing out 
from something, so as to be conspicuous." Predominance denotes 
"ascendency," "a superiority in strength or influence," "an over- 
ruling." There may be many prominent traits in a person's char- 
acter ; there can be only one predominant trait. 

Receipt, recipe.—" Receipt, in the sense of ' formula for a pudding, 
etc.,' is preferable to recipe, since recipe is commonly restricted to 
medical prescriptions."' 2 

Relative, relation.—' 'Relative, in the sense of ' member of a family,' is 
preferable to relation, since relation is also used in an abstract sense." 2 

Requirement, requisite, requisition. — A requirement is something 
required by a person or persons. A requisite is something required 
by the nature of the case. A requisition is an authoritative demand 
or official request for a supply of something. 

Resort, recourse, resource. — Resort denotes "the act of going to 
some person or thing"; or "that which is resorted to or habitually 
visited." Recourse means "resort for help or protection." Resource 
denotes "something which is a source of help or support." 

Secreting, secretion. — Secreting is the act of hiding; secretion, a 
physiological process or fluid. 

Sewage, sewerage.— Sewage means the contents, sewerage, the sys- 
tem, of sewers. 

Situation, site.—" Situation embraces all the local aspects and rela- 
tionships 3 in which a thing is placed. The site is confined to the 
ground on which it is erected or reposes."* 

1 The Century Dictionary. 

2 A. S. Hill; Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 

3 Is " relationships " the proper word here ? 

4 Smith's Synonyms Discriminated. 



OF NOUNS 33 

Speciality, specialty.—" Speciality, in the sense of ' distinctive qual- 
ity,' is preferable to specialty, since specialty is also used in the sense 
of ' distinctive thing.' " l 

Union, unity.— Union is "the joining of two or more things into 
one." Unity means "oneness," "harmony." 

Visitant, visitor.— Visi ta nt was formerly used to denote a supernat- 
ural being; visitor, a human one. Visitant seems now to be going- 
out of use, visitor being used in both senses. 

EXERCISE XXII. 

Tell the difference in meaning beticeen — 

1. He is a person of great ability (capacity). 

2. A good character (reputation) is a precious possession. 

3. The man seemed to be without conscience (consciousness). 

4. The counsel (council) was not wise. 

5. It is John's custom (habit) to speak slowly. 

6. Her deceit (deception) amazed me. 

7. This man is an egoist (egotist). 

8. The government does not encourage immigration (emigration). 

9. In Mr. E.'s estimate (estimation) the cost of lumber and paint 
is low. 

10. It was only yesterday that I heard of the identification (iden- 
tity) of the men who robbed Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith. 

11. Mr. Gladstone's remark at the banquet was an utterance of 
great import (importance). 

12. This is a remarkable discovery (invention). 

13. Carter was nominated by a bare majority (plurality). 

14. His death was caused by his own neglect (negligence). 

15. The privileges of a novice (novitiate) are not many. 

16. What a queer organism (organization) ! 

17. The expedition has plenty (an abundance) of provisions. 

18. He proposes to lay a tax on all English produce (products, 
productions). 

19. He quickly attained prominence (predominance) in the com- 
mittee. 

20. Please copy this receipt (recipe). 

21. My relatives (relations) here are charming. 

1 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 
2* 



34 PKACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

22. Wanted, a boy to do light work in a first-class store. Ability 
to read and write is a requirement (requisite). 

23. The sewage (sewerage) of inland cities presents problems of 
great difficulty. 

24. The site (situation) of the temple is not known. 

25. Unity (union) of religious denominations is hoped for by many. 

EXERCISE XXIII. 

Insert the proper word in each blank, and give the reason for your 
choice :— Ability, capacity. 

1. The — of the room is not great. 

2. They gave, each according to his — . 

3. What is — but the power of doing a thing ? 

4. Let me drink of Thee according to my — . (From a prayer.) 

5. Some students do not have — to master Greek ; but what most 
need is — to work persistently. 

6. My father does not think Judge X. has much — as a lawyer. 

Adherence, adhesion. 

7. The — of the parts which were cemented together is still perfect. 

8. He showed an obstinate — to false rules of conduct. 

9. Marks on the blackboard depend on the — of chalk to the slate. 

10. Professor A.'s — to the doctrines of Adam Smith is seen in his 
last book. Amount, number, quantity. 

11. Our monthly expenditures vary in — . 

12. You could see any — of cabs standing in front of the theatre. 

13. A great — of books and papers covered the table. 

14. Gulliver asked the king of Lilliput for a large — of iron bars 
and a considerable — of rope. 

15. What — of paper is needed for one issue of Harper's Weekly? 

16. Such a (an) — of sheep as we saw to-day ! 

17. There is a large — of silver bullion in the Treasury waiting to 
be coined. Argument, plea. 

18. Every whisper in the court-room was hushed as Mr. N". rose 
before the jury and began his — in behalf of the prisoner. 

19. The — of Smith, when arraigned before the court, was that he 
had acted in self-defence. 

20. The only — available with an east wind is to put on your over- 
coat. 



OF NOUNS 35 

Balance, remainder, rest. 

21. The — of the hour is spent in the study of some poem. 

22. I have a — at my banker's. 

23. The — of the boys went home. 

24. For the — of the week we stayed at home. 

25. The account shows a — of $12.46. 

26. Give John and Horace four of the six apples ; you may have 
the—. 

27. Give the — of our dinner to Tommy, our cat. 

Centre, middle. 

28. There is a crack running down the — of the wall. 

29. A table stood in the — of the room. 

30. A path runs through the — of the park. 

31. In the — of the garden was a fountain. 

32. He parts his hair in the — . 

33. The arrow struck the — of the target. 

Character, reputation. 

34. This man has an excellent — for honesty. 

35. Every one admires the — of Washington. 

36. Mr. Arnold won great — as a critic. 

37. Oh, I have lost my — . 

38. The outlaws of Yorkshire were men of loose — . 

39. A distinguished general may lose his — through a single blunder. 

40. — is an idle and most false imposition ; oft got without merit, 
and lost without deserving. 

Complement, eompliment. 

41. Present my — s to your father. 

42. The ship has its — of stores. 

43. The — of an angle is the difference between the angle and a 
right angle. 

44. "True friendship loathes such oily — ." 

45. In the sentence, "He is ill," "ill" is the — of the verb "is." 

46. " This barren verbiage, current among men, 

Light coin, the tinsel clink of — ." 

Conscience, consciousness. 

47. The — of the purity of his motives consoled him for his un- 
popularity. 

48. My — hath a thousand several tongues. 

49. I felt a shock, I saw the car topple over, and then I lost — . 



36 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Council, counsel. 

50. "No man will take — , but every man will take money; there- 
fore money is better than — ." — Swift. 

51. The members of the cabinet form a sort of secret — of the 
President. 

52. Webster was one of the — in the trial of the Knapps for the 
murder of Captain White. 

Custom, habit. 

53. De Quincey acquired the — of using opium from first using it 
to relieve neuralgic pains. 

54. Dancing round a May-pole is a — many hundreds of years old. 

55. As his — was, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. 

56. Man is a bundle of — s. 

57. Those national — s are best which lead to good — s among the 
people. 

58. A loose life brings a man into — s of dissipation. 

59. It was the — of Scotch Highlanders to go bareheaded. 

60. It is a good — to rise early, because this will soon become a — . 

Deception, deceit. 

61. He was guilty of a long course of — . 

62. Her character would be charming if it were not for her — . 

63. He won my confidence by base — . 

64. Deceivers seldom profit by their — . 

65. — is of the very nature and essence of sin. 

Egotist, egoist. 

66. He is an — , for he is always talking about himself. 

67. — s are the pest of society; they are always obtruding their 

ailments on others. 

Emigration, immigration. 

68. The increase in Chinese — is a matter for serious consideration 
by the United States Senate. 

69. The Chinese government encourages — to America. 

70. — is one cause of the rapid growth of our population. 

71. The — of the French nobility at the time of the French Rev- 
olution was a political blunder. 

Enormity, enormousness. 

72. The — of the cost of the civil war startles the student of his- 
tory. 



OF NOUNS 37 

73. Burke drew such a vivid picture of the — of the Nabob of Ar- 
cot's crimes that ladies in the audience fainted. 

74. Visitors do not at first realize the — of St. Peter's, at Rome. 

Esteem, estimate, estimation. 

75. In what — is he held by his townsmen ? 

76. In my — she is the best of women. 

77. We can form an — of the amount of water in the air. 

Falseness, falsity. 

78. We have already seen the — of that hypothesis. 

79. Arnold was despised for his — . 

80. Piety is opposed to hypocrisy and — . 

81. The prince is in danger of betrayal through the — of his servant. 

82. The — of this reasoning is evident. 

Identity, identification. 

83. The bodies were so disfigured that their — was difficult. 

84. In no form of government is there absolute — of interest be- 
tween the people and their rulers. 

Import, importance. 

85. He heard the tolling of the bell and trembled at its — . 

86. The oath of the President contains three words, all of equal — ; 
namely, that he will "preserve, protect, and defend "the Constitution. 

87. He was engaged in business of the highest — . 

88. You misunderstood the — of my remarks. 

Invention, discovery. 

89. Newton's — of the law of gravitation. 

90. The — of the telescope was made by Galileo. 

91. The — of the properties of the magnetic needle is said to 
have been made by the Chinese ; also, the — of gunpowder. 

92. The — of the circulation of blood was made by Harvey. 

93. The steam-engine is one of the greatest — s of this age. 

94. The — of the telephone is claimed by several persons. 

Limit, limitation. 

95. All kinds of knowledge have their — s. 

96. Titus Quintius was appointed to the command of the army 
without any — s. 

97. Athens insisted upon — of the right to vote. 

98. The prisoners were free to roam within certain — s, but their 
employments were subject to — . 



38 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Majority, plurality. 
99. If A has 21 votes, B 18, and C 10, A is elected by a — , not a — . 

100. Smith had 37 of the 52 votes, a good 

101. Jones had 20 votes, Smith 14, and Brown 11; Jones therefore 
was elected by a safe — . 

Negligence, neglect. 

102. "Without blame 

Or our — we lost her as we came." — Comus. 

103. Through — to do what ought to be done we soon acquire 
habits of — . 

104. Rescue my poor remains from vile — . 

105. The gate has fallen from its hinges, the wooden steps are 
rotted, and the house show T s similar signs of — . 

106. — is a grave fault. 

Noviee, novitiate. 

107. For most men a — of silence is profitable before they enter on 
the business of life. 

108. I am young, a — in the trade. 

109. It was in this abbey that I served my — . 

110. When I was a — in this place, there was here a pious monk. 

Organism, organization. 

111. Germs of microscopic — s exist abundantly on the surface of 
all fruits. 

112. Lieutenant Peary has completed the — of his arctic expedi- 
tion. 

113. The Jacobin club was a political — . 

114. What a complex — the human body is ! 

Part, portion. 

115. A — of my work is done. 

116. The younger — of the community. 

117. The priests had a — of land assigned them by Pharaoh. 

118. The whole is equal to the sum of all its — s. 

119. Each received his — of the estate. 

120. The lower — s of his body were cold. 

121. "This," said he, " is a — of the true cross." 

Plenty, abundance. 

122. If you do not waste your money, you will have — for your 
expenses. 



OF NOUNS 39 

123. They did cast in of their — ; but she of her want. 

124. The expedition has — of provisions, but none to spare. 

125. Last year there was — of corn ; it was estimated that we had 
enough to feed the whole nation for two years. 

Produce, produet, production, 

126. The manufacturers brought their — s to market. 

127. The farmers bring their — to town or haul it to the nearest 
railway station. 

128. The apple is especially an American — . 

129. Lowell's " Commemoration Ode" is a noble — . 

130. Great Britain exports chiefly manufactured — . 

131. The component elements of — are labor and capital. 

Prominence, predominance. 

132. The Indian race is marked by a — of the cheek-bones. 

133. The English settlers were prominent {predominant) in the 
New World. 

134. " Childe Harold " brought Byron into — as a poet. 

135. As a man Byron had many prominent {predominant) faults ; 
it is not easy to say which one w 'as prominent {predominant). 

Reeipe, receipt. 

136. Please send me your — for making chocolate ice-cream. 

137. Paracelsus furnished a — for making a fairy, but had the 
delicac} r to refrain from using it. 

138. He gave me a — for a liniment, which he said was excellent 

for sprains. 

Relative, relation. 

139. He has no — in this part of the country. 

140. I am the nearest — he has in the world. 

Requirement, requisition, requisite. 

141. One of the — s in a great commander is coolness. 

142. The — s for admission to college vary. 

143. One of the — s in a United States minister to France is that 
he be wealthy, for the salary paid is insufficient to defray the expenses 
of the minister's social obligations. 

144. That locomotive engineers be not color-blind is a just — . 

145. The wars of Napoleon were marked by the enormous — s 
which were made on invaded countries. 



40 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Resort, resource, recourse. 

146. The woods were her favorite — . 

147. The United States has unlimited — s. 

148. Newport has long been a — of wealthy society people. 

149. When women engage in any art or trade, it is usually as a 
last — . 

150. Hippomenes had — to stratagem. 

Secretion, secreting. 

151. Jailers are watchful to prevent the — of poison in letters sent 
to condemned prisoners. 

152. Saliva is a — . 

Sewage, sewerage. 

153. The water of rivers that have received — is not good to 
drink. 

154. The vast and intricate — of Paris is described by Victor Hugo 

in "Les Miserables." 

Situation, site. 

155. The — of Samaria is far more beautiful than the — of Jeru- 
salem, though not so grand and wild. 

156. Dr. Schliemann made excavations to discover the — of Troy. 

157. Our school buildings have a fine — . 

158. Has the — of Professor Eichard's house been fixed ? 

159. One of Nebuchadnezzar's temples is thought to have stood on 
the — of the Tower of Babel. 

Specialty, speciality. 

160. It is the — of vice that it is selfishly indifferent to the in- 
jurious consequences of actions. 

161. Diseases of the throat are Dr. Hall's — . 

162. Fountain-pens a — . 

163. "Toughness " is the — of Salisbury iron ; therefore Salisbury 
iron is much in demand for car- wheels. 

Union, unity. 

164. How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell to- 
gether in — . 

165. The — of soul and body is ended by death. 

166. In the temper of Lord Bacon there was a singular — of au- 
dacity and sobriety. 

167. This composition lacks — ; the writer treats of several distinct 
subjects. 



OF NOUNS 41 

EXERCISE XXIV. 

Tell why the italicized words in the following sentences are misused, 
and substitute for them better expressions : — 

1. The West End Railway Company is the factor 1 which can 
remedy all this. 

2. Addison's " Cato" was a success. 

3. Decoration Day is a fitting observance of those who gave their 
lives for the Union. 

4. At the end of each day the teams 2 are so broken up that they 
have to go into the repair-shop, where the carpenter and blacksmith 
are able to fix any part of them. 

5. The majority of the news is unfavorable. 

6. Search-lights would be an indispensable factor in a night attack. 

7. Bishop Hatto lived in a country where all the productions Were 
spoiled by the weather. 

8. The whole of the stupid boys in Germany struggle to pass this 
test. 

9. The police are looking for the guilty parties. 

10. A lot of men from the country came to town to see the circus. 

11. In the shed is a mixture* of oars, seats, sails, rudders, booms, 
and gaffs. . 

12. They had to take the balance of his arm off. 

13. Addison's essays were a great factor in improving the morals 
of his age. 

14. General Manager Payson Tucker at once sent detectives to the 
scene, and every effort w T ill be made to secure the guilty parties. 

15. For a few days Coxey's army was a success as a show. 

16. If it were not for him and a few others of his ilk the matter 
would have been settled long ago. 

EXERCISE XXV. 4 

Illustrate by original sentences the correct use of these words : — 
Home, party, series, statement, verdict, acceptation, actions, advance, 
advancement, avocation, completion, allusion, illusion, observation, 

1 "Foundations," p. 51. 2 Ibid., p. 52. 3 Consult a good dictionary. 

4 To the Teacher. — It is easy to underestimate the difficulty which this 
exercise presents to pupils. In assigning the lesson care must be taken 
not to call for more of this kind of work than can be done well. Con- 
structing a sentence to illustrate the correct use of a word is a valuable 



42 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

observance, proposal, proposition, solicitude, solicitation, stimulus, 
stimulant, capacity, adherence, adhesion, amount, quantity, number, 
centre, middle, character, complement, compliment, conscience, con- 
sciousness, council, counsel, custom, habit, deception, deceit, egoist, 
emigration, immigration, enormity, enormousness, esteem, estimate, 
falsity, falseness, import, invention, discovery, limitation, majority, 
plurality, negligence, neglect, novitiate, organization, organism, 
produce, product, production, prominence, predominance, recipe, re- 
quirement, requisition, requisite, resort, resource, secretion, sewage, 
sewerage, situation, site, specialit} 7 , specialty, union, unity. 

exercise, but it is a difficult one ; and persons who know the correct use of 
a word may be put to their wit's end to illustrate that use. It will be well 
to assign this exercise little by little, while the class works through the defi- 
nitions and exercises on pages 23-42 ; or else to select from the list the 
words on which the class needs most drill. With some pupils it may be 
wise to omit the exercise entirely. 



CHAPTER IV. 
OF PRONOUNS 

Possessive forms. 1 — No apostrophe is used in forming 
the possessive case of personal pronouns. We write 
" ours," " yours," " hers," " its," " theirs." " It's " is a con- 
traction for "it is." 

EXERCISE XXVI. 

Write from dictation — 

1. John's hat is old, }^ours is new. 

2. The bear was lying on its side, dead. 

3. The Browns' house is larger than ours, but ours is more con- 
venient than theirs. 

4. Yours very respectfully, John Smith. 

5. See the yacht ! it's coming into the harbor under full sail. 

6. Show Mary your doll ; it should not grieve you that yours is 
not so pretty as hers. 

7. That fault was not yours. 

8. Helen's eyes followed the direction of hers. 

Nominative or Objective Case. 2 — There are only seven 
words in the English language that now have different 
forms for the nominative and objective cases ; therefore it 
is only in the use of these words that we need to observe 
any rules about " nominative " or " objective." Since, how- 
ever, these seven words are more frequently used than any 
other words, the possibilities of error in choosing between the 
nominative and the objective are many. Mistakes of this 
kind are common, and produce a very unpleasant effect on 
cultivated people. The seven words that have different 

1 " Foundations," p. 60. 2 Ibid., pp. 61-62. 



44 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

forms for the nominative and objective cases are the fol- 
lowing pronouns 1 : — 



Nominative. 
I 


Objective. 

me 


Nominative. 
she 


Objective. 

her 


we 


us 


they 


them 


thou 


thee 


who 


whom 


he 


him 







It is taken for granted that the student has already 
learned the following principles of syntax : — 

1. Words used absolutely and the subjects of finite verbs should in 
English be put in the nominative form. 

2. The subjects of infinitives and the objects of verbs and preposi- 
tions should be in the objective form. 

3. Words in apposition should be in the same case. 

4. The verb "to be" or any of its forms (am, is, are, were, etc.), 
does not take an object, but, being equivalent in meaning to the sym- 
bol " =," takes the same case after it as before it : the nominative, 
if the form is "finite"; the objective, if the form is "infinitive" and 
has a subject of its own. " I know it is lie," "I know it to be Mm" 
and " The stranger is thought to be lie" are grammatically correct. 

Sentences like " She invited Mrs. R. and I to go driving " 
are common, even among people generally well-informed. 
Such mistakes will be avoided if the speaker stops to think 
what the form would be if the pronoun were not coupled 
with a noun. No one would think of saying, "She in- 
vited Zto go driving." 

Persons who are in doubt as to which form of the pro- 
noun to use often try to avoid the difficulty by using one of 
the pronouns ending in " -self " — pronouns which have the 
same form for both the nominative and the objective case. 
Thus many persons, uncertain whether to use "I" or 
"me" in the sentence quoted above, would say instead, 
"She invited Mrs. R. and myself to go driving." This is 

1 I omit ye, you, because they are used interchangeably. I omit also 
compounds of who, whom. 



OF PRONOUNS 45 

no better than " Mrs. R. and I," or " her and I." The pro- 
nouns in " -self " are properly used only for emphasis or in 
a reflexive sense. 1 It is right to say: "I will go myself" ; 
"Carrie herself went to the door"; "God helps those who 
help themselves" It would be wrong to say, " Harry and 
myself have bought a horse together." 

When a pronoun in " -self " is used reflexively, it refers 
to the subject of the clause in which it stands. 

In sentences like "This advice is free to lohoever w 7 ill 
take it," the word ending in "-ever" is the subject of the 
verb "will take," not the object of the preposition "to." 
The right form, therefore, is " whoever," not " whomever." 
The object or, better, the " base " of the preposition " to " 
is the whole clause, " whoever will take it." 

EXERCISE XXVII. 

Insert the proper form of pronoun in each blank, and give the reason 
for your choice : — I 

I, me, myself. 

1. Taking a carriage, my brother and — drove to the east end of 
Cape Elizabeth. 

2. Mr. C. and — walked around the lake by moonlight. 

3. The walk gave pleasure to both Mr. C. and — . 

4. Between you and — , affairs look dark. 

5. The Star contains a paper on "Our Streets," which was writ- 
ten by — . 

6. He is taller than — . 2 

7. There is, you remember, an old agreement between you and — . 

8. May John and — go to the ball-game ? 

9. Please let John and — go to the ball-game. 

10. They met Robert and — in the village. 

11. Who is there? Only—. 

1 "Foundations," p. 64. 

2 In sentences like this the correct form will become evident if the 
speaker mentally completes the sentence thus : He is taller than — am. 
The greater part of the clause after " than " or " as " is generally omitted. 



46 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

12. To send — away, and for a whole year, too, — , who had never 
been away from home, was not easy for mother. 

13. Will you let Brown and — have your boat ? 

14. Dr. Holmes shook hands with the girls, — among the rest. 

15. Next month my brother and — are going to Bar Harbor. 

16. It was — who called to you. 

17. I was beside — . 

18. Would you go, if you were — ? 

19. Father bought brother and — tickets for the concert. 

20. He said he would bring some flowers to Frances and — . 

21. You suffer from headache more than — . 

22. We shall soon see which is the better boxer, you or — . 

23. Who rang the bell ? — . 

24. The taller man was supposed to be — . 

25. Every one has gone except you and — . 

26. The world will rest content with such poor things as you 
and — . 

27. He was a sublimer poet than — . 

28. Was it — that you saw ? 

29. How can you thus address me, — , who am your friend ? 

30. Let you and — go for berries alone, if he will not go with us. 

31. There is no one here but you and — . 

32. Is it — you wish to see ? 

33. He said that you and — might go. 

34. Oh, no ; it couldn't have been — . 

35. Harry left word for you and — to come to his room. 

36. Other girls have books as well as — . 

37. Its being — should make no difference. 

38. Young Macdonald and — went to New York last Thursday. 

39. She knew it to be — by my gait. 

II. 

We, us, ourselves. 

1. Our friends and — are going out to-night. 

2. He has come to take our friends and — driving. 

3. They are wiser than — , since tbey are older. 

4. They will lose more than — by the failure of the bank. 

5. The Germans are better plodders than — . 

6. It may have been — who (whom) you saw. 

7. — boys are having a fine time. 



OF PRONOUNS 47 

8. Have you seen the picture of — three girls in a boat, taken by 
Mr. B. ? 

9. There are five hundred miles between father and — . 

10. They know that as well as — . 

11. They don't succeed any better than — . 

12. They as well as — were disappointed. 

13. — ought not to get angry when others criticise — for faults 
which freely acknowledge. 

14. "It is not fit for such as — 

To sit with rulers of the land." 

III. 

Thou, thee, thyself. 

1. I will not learn my duty from such as — . 

2. If they rob only such as — , I hold them right honest folk. 

3. Love — last. 

4. " The nations not so blest as — 

Must in their turn to tyrants fall." 

5. " Wife, dost — know that all the world seems queer except — 
and me; and sometimes I think even — art a little queer f 

6. " Hail to — , blithe spirit ; 

Bird — never wert." 

IV. 

He, him, himself. 

1. There is a difference between an employer and — who (whom) 
he employs. 

2. John — wrote that letter. 

3. You are nearly as tall as — . 

4. All wore dress suits except Charles and — . 

5. I know that it was — . 

6. I knew it to be — . 

7. — being young, they tried to deceive him. 

8. It was either — or his brother that called. 

9. What were you and — talking about ? 

10. I can run as fast as — . 

11. — who had always protected her, she now saw dead at her feet. 

12. — and his father are in business together. 

13. She is as good as — . 

14. I should never have imagined it to be — . 

15. Boys like you and — are expected to do what is right without 
being told. 



48 PKACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

16. Yes, I told them what you said, — among the rest. 

17. I did as well as — . 

18. It was Joseph, — whom Pharaoh made prime-minister. 

19. Let — who made thee answer that. 

20. Whom can I trust, if not — ? 

V. 

She, her, herself. 

1. Before leaving Mary we saw — and her baggage safe on the 
train. 

2. — and her two cousins have been visiting us. 

3. 1 would not go to town alone, if I were — . 

4. It was not — but her sister that you met yesterday. 

5. You are as old as — . 

q — and I are not in the same class. 

7. Was it — that did it ? 

8. I cannot let you and — sit together. 

9. You play the violin better than — . 

10. Such girls as — are not good companions. 

11. I am certain that it was — . 

12. Girls like — are not good company. 

13. If any one is embarrassed, it will not be — . 

14. If any one is late it will be sure to be — . 

VI. 

They, them, themselves. 

1. — and their children have left town. 

2. We shall soon be as poor as — . 

3. Yes, it was — . 

4. I do not know whether the Macdonalds are Scotch or Irish; 
but I thought the Scotch family alluded to might be — . 

5. The mischievous boys you speak of could not have been — , 

for — were at home. 

VII. 
Who, whom, whoever, whomever. 

1. — are you going to give that to ? 

2. — do men say that I am ? 
3 — do men think me to be ? 

4. — am I supposed to be ? 

5. — do you think will be elected ? 

6. — do you think they will select ? 



OF PRONOUNS 49 

7. I do not know — to compare him to. 

8. Tell me in sadness — is she you love ? 

9. — are you going to call on next ? 

10. How can we tell — to trust ? 

11. — is that for ? 

12. Elect — you like. 

13. — did you see at the village ? 

14. — did you say went with you ? 

15. Do you know — you can get to take my trunk ? 

16. — were you talking to just now ? 

17. I do not know — you mean. 

18. Do you remember — he married ? 

19. We will refer the question to — you may select as arbitrator. 

20. — can this letter be from ? 

21. He is a man — I know is honest. 1 

22. He is a man — I know to be honest. 1 

23. — do you take me to be ? 

24. — did you expect to see ? 

25. Can't you remember — you gave it to ? 

26. I saw a man — I have no hesitation in saying was Julian H. 

27. We like to be with those — we love and — we know love us, 
let them be — they may. 

28. — do you think it was that called ? 

29. He confided his plan to those — he thought were his friends. 

30. He confided his plan to those — he thought he could trust. 

31. We recommend only those — we think can pass the examina- 
tions, and — we know will do their best. 

32. — do you think she looks like ? 

33. One letter was from an applicant — I afterwards learned had 
been out of a position for two years. 

34. — did you suppose it was ? 

35. Opposite him was a handsome man — John knew must be 
Kathleen's uncle. 

36. A witness — the counsel for the defence expected would be 
present was kept away by illness. 

1 In the first of these sentences the pronoun to be supplied is the subject 
of " is honest," and " I know " is parenthetical. In the second sentence, 
the pronoun to be supplied is the subject of " to be honest," which is the 
complement of " I know." 
3 



50 PKACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

37. A witness — the counsel expected to be present was kept 
away. 

38. Give it to — seems to need it most. 

39. — does lie think it could have been ? 

40. They have found the child — - they thought was stolen. 

41. Mr. Morton, — , it is announced, the President has appointed 
minister to France, has a house at Saratoga. 

42. Miss C. married an old gentleman — they say is very wealthy. 

43. The king offered to give his daughter in marriage to — would 
kill the terrible monster. 

44. — do you think I saw in Paris ? 

45. — are you going to vote for ? 

46. They left me ignorant as to — it was. 

47. We were betrayed by those — we thought would die for us. 

48. I don't know — to ask for. 

49. I know — it is I serve. 

50. The President has appointed Mr. L., — he thinks will show 
himself well fitted for the position. 

51. One member of the committee was absent — , it was asserted by 
the minority, would have voted in the negative. 

52. The officer addressed the woman, — he plainly saw to be very 
much out of place there. 

53. — did he refer to, he (him) or I (me)? 

54. Ariel was a spirit — a certain witch had shut up in a tree. 

55. Seated on an upright tombstone, close to him, was a strange, 
unearthly figure, — Gabriel felt at once was no being of this world. 

56. He then got into the carriage to sit with the man — he had 
been told was Morgan. 

57. If she did not take after Anne, — did she take after ? 

Pronouns before Verbal Nouns. 1 — Grammarians distin- 
guish three kinds of words formed from verbs by the add- 
ing of " -ing." 

"She goes about her work singing gayly." In this sen- 
tence " singing" partakes of the nature of an adjective 
(describing " she ") and is called a participle. 

" Singing blithely is better than moaning sadly." "By 

1 "Foundations," pp. 62-64. 



OF PRONOUNS 51 

cheerily singing pretty songs she keeps our spirits up." In 
these sentences the words in " -ing " are nouns, but like 
verbs they are modified by adverbs, and one of them has 
an object. Such words in "-ing" are called gerunds. 

" The blithe singing of Katharine helps to make home 
happy." Here, too, "singing" is a noun; but now it is 
modified by an adjective, and is preceded by " the " and 
followed by " of." Such words, derived from the old verb- 
al noun in " -ung," are called verbal nouns. 

A noun or pronoun used before a gerund to denote the 
subject of the action named by it, is put in the possessive 
case. The reason for this becomes evident if, in the sen- 
tence "Do you remember him (his) preaching here two 
years ago?" we substitute for the noun "preaching" an- 
other noun, "sermon"; thus, "Do you remember him (his) 
sermon here two years ago ?" If " preaching " were a parti- 
ciple, " him" would be right ; as in the sentence, "He speaks 
so loud that I can hear him preaching a square away." 

When a verbal noun is preceded by " the " it should be 
followed by " of "; conversely, when it is followed by " of " 
it should be preceded by " the," unless it is made definite 
by some other modifier; as, "Her singing of this song was 
applauded heartily." 

EXERCISE XXVIIL 

Which of the following forms is preferable? Give the reason: — 

1. I heard of him (his) coming home. 

2. What do you think of Marguerite (Marguerite's) studying 
Latin? 

3. Have you any doubt of Kathleen (Kathleen's) being happy ? 

4. We saw the lady (lady's) crossing the street. 

5. Do you remember my (me) speaking to you about your pen- 
manship ? 

6. We saw the old miser (miser's) sitting alone in front of his hut. 

7. What is the good of your (you) going now ? 

8. There was no doubt of him (his) being promoted. 



52 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

9. Trust to me (my) being on time. 

10. Are you surprised at it (its) being him (he)? 

11. No doubt his example will be followed by others, with the 
consequence of the country (country's) being overrun by tramps. 

12. Look at him (his) reading a book. 

13. The delay was caused by us (our) missing the train. 

14. I found him (his) reading Idyls of the King. 

15. This may lead to Harry (Harry's) getting a position. 

16. We did not see the house (house's) burning. 

17. You (your) writing the letter so neatly secured for you the 
position. 

18. The man's (man) breaking jail is evidence of his guilt. 

19. What do you think about this cloth (cloth's) wearing well ? 

20. We must insist upon every man (man's) doing his duty. 

21. Mr. R.'s (Mr. R.) having come to town will soon be known. 

22. There is prospect of the Senate (Senate's) passing the tariff bill. 

23. What use is there in a man (man's) swearing ? 

24. His parents are opposed to him (his) playing football. 

25. No one ever saw fat men (men's) heading a riot. 

26. A fierce struggle ensued, ending in the intruder (intruder's) 
being worsted. 

27. Professor C. relies on us (our) passing our examinations. 

28. I felt my heart (heart's) beating faster. 

29. There is no use in me (my) trying to learn Hebrew. 

30. I enjoy nothing more than the sight of a yacht (yacht's) sailing 
in a stiff breeze. 

31. Brown (Brown's) being a manufacturer prevented his election. 

EXERCISE XXIX. 

Distinguish in meaning between the following sentences : — 

1. The man (man's) asking to be allowed to vote started a 
quarrel. 

2. Did you see him (his) riding ? 

3. I had to laugh at John (John's) riding a bicycle. 

4. Think of me (my) eating frogs' legs. 

5. Much depends on the teacher (teacher's) correcting the papers. 

6. Did you watch him (his) entering the room ? 

7. Did you hear Ruth (Ruth's) singing ? 

8. No one ever heard of that man (man's) running for office. 



OF PRONOUNS 53 

EXERCISE XXX. 

Explain the faults in the following sentences and correct them in 
several ways: — 

1. He read the parable about the sowing the seed. 

2. Good writing depends on reading of good books. 

3. Youth is the time for the forming the character. 

4. " In building of chaises, I tell you what, 

There is always somewhere a weakest spot." 

5. He would not aid me so much as by the lifting a hand. 

6. Groaning of prisoners and clanking of chains were heard. 

7. By the obtaining wisdom you will command esteem. 

8. By reading of good books his style was improved. 

9. The taking things by force is apt to make trouble. 

10. A more careful guarding the prisoners would have prevented 
this accident. 

Choice of Relative Pronouns. 1 — Who is now used only of 
persons; which, of things; that, of either persons or things. 
As a rule, euphony decides between who or which and 
that. 

"Who is used chiefly of persons (though also often of the higher 
animals), which almost only of animals and things (in old English 
also of persons), and that indifferently of either, except after a prep- 
osition, where only who [wJiom] or which can stand. Some recent 
authorities teach that only that should be used when the relative 
clause is limiting or defining : as, the man that runs fastest wins the 
race ; but who or which when it is descriptive or co-ordinating : as, 
this man, who ran fastest, won the race ; but, though present usage 
is perhaps tending in the direction of such a distinction, it neither 
has been nor is a rule of English speech, nor is it likely to become 
one, especially on account of the impossibility of setting that after a 
preposition ; for to turn all relative clauses into the form ' the house 
that Jack lived in ' (instead of ' the house in which Jack lived ') would 
be intolerable. In good punctuation the defining relative is distin- 
guished (as in the examples above) by never taking a comma before 
it, whether it be who or which or that. Wherever that could be prop- 
erly used, but only there, the relative may be, and very often is, 

1 " Foundations," pp. 60, 65, 67-69. 



54 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

omitted altogether ; thus, the house Jack built or lived in ; the man 
he built it for." 1 

When the antecedent includes both persons and things, 
that is preferable to who or ivhich. 

" When the antecedent is a neuter noun not personified, 
a writer should prefer of which to ivhose, unless euphony 
requires the latter." 2 

What, as a relative pronoun, is equivalent to "that 
which." It is never used with an antecedent, since the 
antecedent is included in the meaning of the word. 

The word as is a relative pronoun only after "such" or 
"same." After "such" the proper relative is "as"; after 
" same " it is " as " or " that." " Same as usually expresses 
identity of kind,. same that absolute identity, except in con- 
tracted sentences where same as is alone found : cf. ' he 
uses the same books as you do/ c he uses the same books 
that you do,' ' he uses the same books as you.' " 3 

EXERCISE XXXI. 

Insert the proper relative pronoun in the blanks in the following 
sentences, giving the reason for your choice : — 

1. Man is the only animal — can talk. 

2. There are many persons — , though they be starving, will not 
beg. 

3. This is the malt — lay in the house — Jack built. 

4. I will have no such son-in-law — thinks himself better than 
I (me). 4 

5. Tennyson, — was the foremost poet of England, died in 1892. 

6. Time — is lost is never found again. 

7. There are many — saw him fall. 

8. The soldiers and cannon — you saw belong to the French army. 

9. Who — hears Professor C. read the court scene from "Pick- 
wick " does not go away delighted ? 

1 The Century Dictionary. 2 " Foundations," p. 68. 

3 Murray's Dictionary. 4 See note, p. 48. 



OF PRONOUNS 55 

10. She is the same girl since her marriage — she was before it. 

11. The dog dropped the bone, — then fell into the water. 

12. He — does all — he can does all — can be expected. 

13. Her hair, — was dark brown, was gathered in a Grecian knot. 

14. Tears, such — angels weep, burst forth. 

15. I have a water- spaniel, — follows me everywhere. 

16. The horse — ran away with Harry belonged to Mr. H. 

17. Such — I have I give you. 

18. This is the same man — I spoke of. 

19. The diamond, — is so highly prized, is pure carbon, — in the 
form of charcoal is familiar to all. 

20. All the men and horses — were on the transports were 
drowned when the vessels sank. 

21. The murdered innocents at Bethlehem were martyrs — died 
for a king — they had never seen. 

22. What pleased me most, and — has been most frequently men- 
tioned by visitors to the fair, was the beauty of the buildings. 

23. I trusted to my dog, — knew the way better than I did. 

24. Dr. A.'s report shows the same record of efficiency — has al- 
ways characterized his conduct. 

25. Shakespeare was the greatest poet — the English race has pro- 
duced. 

26. He spends all — he earns. 

27. The review of the National Guard of Pennsylvania by Sheri- 
dan was the largest military display — I have seen. 

28. Was it you or the wind — made those noises ? 

29. We have invited the same girls — were here yesterday. 

30. It was the cat, not I or the wind, — frightened you. 

31. The dog — my brother gave me ran away. 

32. Do you know that man — is just entering the car ? 

33. Such eloquence — was heard in the Senate in those days! 

34. He held the same political opinions — his illustrious friend. 

35. "Nature ever faithful is 

To such — trust her faithfulness." 

36. Is this a dagger — I see before me ? 

37. We saw the men and arms — were captured. 

Either or Any one, Neither or No one. 1 — Either means 

1 " Foundations," pp. 69-70. 



56 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ' ENGLISH 

"one of the two"; neither, "no one of the two." When 
more than two persons or things are spoken of, " any one " 
is preferable to "either," and "no one" to "neither." 

EXERCISE XXXII. 

Insert the proper word or words ("either" "neither" "any one" 
"no one") in each blank in tlie following sentences : — 

1. Only three persons saw the fight, and — of them would testify. 

2. Has — of you two gentlemen a fountain-pen ? 

3. I defy any candid and clear thinker to deny in the name of 
inductive science — of these six propositions. 

4. When two persons disagree, it is not likely that — is altogether 
wrong. 

5. Has — of you who have just come from the ball-field seen 
Julian ? 

6. I have several histories of France, — of which will give you 
the information. 

7. Here come Harry and Arthur; — will go to get it for you. 

8. Give it to the six successful students or to — of them. 

Each or all. 1 — Each denotes every one of any number 
taken one by one ; all denotes the entire number taken to- 
gether. 

EXERCISE XXXIII. 

Insert the proper word (" each" "all ") in each blank : — 
1. — gave me his (their) hand(s). 
2 t — of the workmen received two dollars a day. 

3. — of the children has (have) his (their) peculiar traits. 

4. — of the members is (are) entitled to a vote. 

5. He gave an apple to — of us. 

6. Did your father bring the boat to Harry? No, he brought it 
to — of us. 

7. — of them did his (their) duty. 

Change of Pronoun. 2 — In referring to the same person or 
thing a writer should not change from one pronoun to an- 
other. 

The possessive of " one" is "one's" (not "his"), except 

1 "Foundations," p. 70. 2 Ibid., pp. 72-74. 



OF PRONOUNS 57 

in such expressions as "every one," "no one," "many a 
one." The reflexive is "one's self." 

It is a common but serious fault to begin to write in the 
third person, and then to change to the first or second. 

EXERCISE XXXIV. 

Fill the blanks with the 'proper pronouns : — 

1. The Second Regiment of the National Guard, — was sent to 
Pittsburg during the strike, and — is now in camp at Gettysburg, 
has six hundred members. 

2. John started to school last Monday ; we wish — success. 

3. Proud damsel, — shalt be proudly met. I withdraw my pre- 
tensions to — hand until I return from the war. 

4. As — hast said, — lands are not endangered. But hear me 
before I leave — . 

5. The cat was crouching on the piazza and we were watching 
— . Suddenly — tail twitched nervously and — prepared to spring. 

6. "Ere you remark another's sin, 

Bid — conscience look within." 

7. At first one is likely to wonder where the boats are, since on 
entering the grove — is (are) able to see only a small cabin. 

8. Dost — talk of revenge ? — conscience, it seems, has grown 
dull. 

9. As a Christian — art obliged to forgive — enemy. 

10. Did you never bear false witness against — neighbor ? 

11. The shepherd ran after a sheep and caught — just as — was 
jumping over a hedge. 

12. The hen gathered — brood under — wing. 

13. This is a book which I have never read, but one — is recom- 
mended by Mrs. M. 

EXERCISE XXXV. 

1. Write the following note in clear and correct form, using the 
third person: — 

"Mr. Smith presents his compliments to Mr, Jones, and finds he 
has a cap which isn't mine. So, if you have a cap which isn't his, 
no doubt they are the ones." \ 

1 Quoted in " Foundations," p. *74. 
3* 



58 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

2. Write a formal note in the third person, asking an acquaint- 
ance to dine with you at a certain hour in order that you may con- 
sult with him about some matter of importance. 

3. Write a note in the third person accepting or declining this in- 
vitation. 

4. Write a formal note in the third person to some gentleman to 
whom you have a letter of introduction, asking when it will be con- 
venient to have you call. 

5. Write a notice in the third person offering a reward for the re- 
covery of a lost article. 

Singular or Plural Pronouns. 1 — The rule that a pronoun 
should be in the same number as its antecedent is violated 
most commonly in connection with such expressions as 
" any one," " each," " either," " every," " man after man," 
" neither," " nobody." Grammatically such expressions are 
singular. 

"He" ("his," "him") may stand for mankind in general 
and include women as well as men. 

EXERCISE XXXVI. 

Fill the blanks with the proper pronouns : — 

1. Many a brave man met — death in the war. 

2. Has everybody finished — exercise ? 

3. If any one has not finished let — hold up — hand. 

4. It is true that this is a free country; but that does not mean 
that every one may do as — please (pleases). 

5. Either John or Harry will let you look on — book. 

6. Let each take — turn. 

7. If anybody but John had come, we would not have ad- 
mitted — . 

8. Any one w T ho wishes may have a ribbon to wear in — button- 
hole. 

9. Neither Bois-Guilbert nor Front de Bceuf found himself (them- 
selves) a match for the unknown knight who challenged — . 

10. Every kind of animal has — own proper food. 

11. Not an officer, not a private escaped getting — clothes wet. 

1 "Foundations," pp. 75-76. 



OF PRONOUNS 59 

12. The Senate has (have) instructed — conferees to yield to the 
demand of the conferees of the House of Representatives. 

13. Everybody has possessions of some kind which — prize (prizes) 
highly. 

14. It is a shame that each of the men, when — draw (draws) — 
pay, take (takes) it to the tavern. 

15. Will either of you gentlemen lend me — (third person) pencil? 

16. Two men saw the deed ; but neither would tell what — saw. 

17. Every one should be careful of the feelings of those around — . 

18. Each of the pupils has (have) — own dictionary. 

19. Nobody went out of — way to make her feel at home. 

20. Neither Charles nor his brother ate — breakfast this morning. 

21. Everybody goes to bed when — please (pleases). 

22. The committee has handed in — report. 

23. The senior class has elected — class-day speakers. 

24. If any one wishes to see me let — call at my office. 

25. Either Florence or Grace will lend you — fan. 

26. Every one must judge of — own feelings. 

27. Whoever loves — school should do — best to elevate the school 
tone. 

28. A person who is rude in — table manners will be disliked. 

29. Nobody in — senses ever thinks of doing that. 

30. Each one as before will chase — favorite phantom. 

31. She laughs like one out of — mind. 

32. Everybody was on deck amusing — self (selves) as best — 
could. 

33. No one should marry unless — has (have) the means of sup- 
porting — self (selves) and — family. 

34. Probably everybody is eloquent at least once in — life. 

35. Everybody rises early and goes on deck, where — inhale (in- 
hales) the fresh salt air. 

36. Each of the gentlemen offered — assistance. 

37. Nobody but a fool would have left — money in such a place. 

38. Anybody wishing to sell — bicycle will please call at No. 267. 

39. Franklin and Collins started off together, each with very little 
money in — pockets. 

40. In the time of Franklin's great-great-grandfather, if a person 
was caught using an English Bible — was (were) treated as a heretic. 

41. Nobody should praise — self (selves). 

42. Neither the merchant nor the lawyer made —self (selves) rich. 



60 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

43. Every man and every boy received — wages. 

44. When the carnival comes off. everybody who owns a boat, or 
who can borrow one, decorates it as best — can with lanterns and 
trimmings. 

45. Every cowboy carries a pistol and knows how to use it very 
quickly ; — also has (have) a knife stuck in — belt, in the use of 
which — is (are) very expert. 

46. Everybody's heart is open, you know, when — has (have) re- 
cently escaped from severe pain. 

Omitted Pronouns. 1 — The omission of necessary pro- 
nouns — an omission especially common in business letters 
— cannot be justified on the ground of brevity. 

EXERCISE XXXVII. 

Insert the omitted pronouns in — 

1. After twenty -two years' experience announce the opening of 
my new store. Hope to serve the public better by presenting new 
ideas. Would invite inspection. 

2. Have received manuscript, but not had time to examine. Will 
take up in a few days. If good, will publish. 

3. Dr. Jones and wife occupy the front room. 

4. My inability to get employment, and destitute condition, de- 
pressed me. 

5. She didn't trouble to make any excuse to her husband. 

6. Accept thanks for lovely present. Hope we may have the 
pleasure of using together in the near future. 

Redundant Pronouns. — A vulgarism not often seen in 
writing, but common in conversation, consists in the use 
of an unnecessary pronoun after the subject of a sentence. 
Thus, 

Teacher : Who was Benjamin Franklin ? 

Pupil: Benjamin Franklin, he was a great American philosopher 
and statesman. 

1 " Foundations," pp. 11, 78. 



CHAPTER Y. 



OF VERBS 



is not enough to 
a verb ; the habit 
red. The follow- 



Correct and Incorrect Forms. 1 — It 
learn by heart the " principal parts " of 
of using them correctly should be acqui 
ing verb-forms are often misused : — 

Present 

awake (intransitive) 
begin 
beseech 
blow 

bid ("to order," ''tog- 
bid (at auction) 
break 
burst 
choose 
come 
dive 
do 

drive 
eat 
flee 

fly 

freeze 

forget 

get 

go 

haug 

lay ("to cause to lie ") 

1 ''Foundations," pp. 78-81, 91-93. 

2 "Broke," as a form of the past participle, is still found in verse. 

3 u 



ast Indicative. 


Past Participle. 


awoke 


awaked 


began 


begun 


besought 


besought 


blew 


blown 


bade 


bidden or bid 


bid 


bidden or bid 


broke 


broken 2 


burst 


burst 


chose 


chosen 


came 


come 


dived 


dived 


did 


done 


drove 


driven 


ate 


eaten 


fled 


fled 


flew 


flown 


froze 


frozen 


forgot 


forgotten 


got 


got 3 


went 


gone 


hung, hanged 4 


hung, hanged 4 


laid 


laid 



4 tc 



Gotten " is an old form not sanctioned by the best modern usage. 
Clothes are 'hung' on the line ; men are * hanged ' on the gallows.''' — 



" Foundations," p. 19. 



62 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 



Present. 


Past Indicative. 


Past Participle. 


lie ("to recline") 


lay 


lain 


plead 


pleaded 


pleaded 


prove 


proved 


proved l 


ride 


rode 


ridden 


rise (intransitive) 


rose 


risen 


raise (transitive) 


raised 


raised 


run 


ran 


run 


see 


saw 


seen 


L /"to put"; of 
set( i 
\ moon, etc. , 


the sun,\ 
<tosink'7 Set 


set 


sit 


sat 


sat 


shake 


shook 


shaken 


shoe 


shod 


shod 


show 


showed 


shown 


speak 


spoke 


spoken 


slay 


slew 


slain 


steal 


stole 


stolen 


take 


took 


taken 


throw 


threw 


thrown 


wake (transitive) 


woke 


waked 


write 


wrote 


written 



In using the verbs drink, ring, shrink, sing, sink, spring, 
swim, it seems better to confine the forms in " a " to the 
preterite tense, and the forms in a u " to the past partici- 
ple : as, "The bell rang five minutes ago"; "Yes, the bell 
has rung" 2 

The following forms also should be distinguished : — 

Present Past Participle. 

,. , /"to get down from," " to\ ,. . / , ,. , , ., 

al 'S Lt ( dismount" ) ^^ "^^ 

light ("to ignite," " to shed light on ") lighted 3 lighted 3 

(" to settle down as a bird f rom\ 

flight," or "to come upon ) lighted or lit lighted or lit 
by chance " 

i » ' Proven. ' is borrowed from the Scotch legal dialect." — " Founda- 
tions," p. 92. 2 Ibid., p. 91. 

3 " ' Lighted ' seems preferable to * lit ' ; but ( lit ' is used by some writers 
of reputation." — Ibid., p. 92. 



OF VERBS 63 

EXERCISE XXXVIII. 

Change the italicized verbs in these sentences to the past tense : — 

1. The guests begin to go home. 

2. I beseech you to hear me. 

3. The wind blows furiously. 

4. The steward bids me say that supper is ready. 

5. ]yjr. O. bids forty-two dollars for the picture. 

6. George dives better than any other boy in the crowd. 

7. I do it myself. 

8. They eat their supper as if they were half starved. 

9. The enemy flee before us. 

10. The door flies open. 

11. The wild goose flies southward in the autumn. 

12. He flees at the smell of powder. 

13. The Susquehanna river overflows its banks. 

14. The workmen lay the rails for the track with great care. 

15. Obedient to the doctor's directions, she lies down an hour 
every day. 

16. Our cat lies on the rug by the hour watching for mice. 

17. The cows lie under the trees in the meadow. 

18. Helen comes in and lays her coat on a chair. 

19. The envoys plead with Caesar earnestly. 

20. Both short-stop and pitcher run for the ball. 

21. He runs up to Mr. C. as if to strike him. 

22. I see two cannon and a company of infantry. 

23. Harry sees me coming. 

24. The negro women set their baskets on their heads. 

25. They sit in the third pew from the front. 

26. Mr. N. always shoes my pony. 

27. The savages who live on this island slay their captives. 

28. The catcher often throws the ball to the second base. 

29. The sun wakes me early. 

30. The bell rings at seven o'clock. 

31. The stag drinks his fill. 

32. She sings sweetly. 

33. Armed men spring up on all sides. 

34. Tom swims very well indeed. 

35. The vessel sinks with all on board. 

36. The colonel and his staff alight in front of the general's tent. 



64 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

37. He lights the lamp with a splint. 

38. On the trees a crested peacock lights. 



EXERCISE XXXIX. 

Change these sentences so that the italicized verbs will be either in 
the perfect tense or in the passive voice: — 

1. The sleeper awakes. 

2. The Gauls beseech Caesar to be merciful. 

3. The wind blows my papers off the table. 

4. Ethel broke her arm. 

5. His wrongdoing breaks my heart. 

6. The pressure of the water breaks the pipes. 

7. They choose Mr. W. to be their chairman. 

8. The enemy come in force. 

9. The boys dive three times. 

10. John is driving the cows out of the corn. 

1U The boys are eating their supper. • 

12. An absconding cashier flees to Canada. 

13. A robin flies to the vines by my window. 

14. The Ohio river overflows its banks. 

15. The water in my pitcher froze. 

16. I forget his name. 

17. He gets along fairly well. 

18. They go by steamer. 

19. The sheriff hangs the condemned man. 

20. The maid hangs up my cloak. 

21. I lie on the couch twenty minutes to rest. 

22. Tramps lie by the road below the gate. 

23. Boys lay traps for hares. 

24. They lay burdens on me greater than I can bear. 

25. They plead their cause well. 

26. This proves the truth of my assertion. 

27. He rides alone from Litchfield to Waterbury. 

28. A mist rises before my eye. 

29. I see the President often. 

30. I set the lamp on the table. 

31. He sits by the hour talking politics. 

32. Rab shakes the little dog by the neck. 

33. He is shoeing my horse. 



OF VERBS 65 

34. This fact clearly shows the prisoner's guilt. 

35. He speaks his declamation well. 

36. They slay their prisoners. 

37. He stole my watch. 

38. Some one takes my hat. 

39. He throws cold water on my plan. 

40. He writes home. 

41. He wakes me every night by his restlessness. 

Note. — if th e teacher thinks that the class needs more drill of this kind, 
Exercises XXXVIII. and XXXIX. may be reversed, that is, the verbs in 

XXXVIII. may be changed to perfect or passive forms ; the verbs in 

XXXIX. to the past tense. If this is done, some of the sentences will 
have to be slightly recast. In the next exercise drill on the same forms is 
continued in a different way. 

EXERCISE XL. 

Insert tlie proper form in each of the blanks in . the following sen- 
tences :— Awake, wake. 

1. I — at six o'clock this morning; I have — at about the same 
time ever since I have been at school. 

2. Lord Byron one morning — to find himself famous. A certain 
Mr. Peck — one day last week to find that the Nation had made him 
notorious. 

3. A few nights ago Mr. Michael Dixon was — by a burglar in 
his bedroom. 

4. He — me an hour before time. 

5. Have you — your brother ? 

6. He — as I opened, the door. 

Begin. 

7. He had — his speech before we arrived. 

8. The Senators — to ask him questions. Then he — to be con- 
fused. 

Bid. 

9. When the Major passed us he — us good-morning very po- 
litely. 

10. Father has for— us to go there. 

Blow. 

11. Before the sunset gun was fired the bugler — a strain on his 
bugle. 

12. The top-mast of the sloop was — away. 



66 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Break. 

13. Did you hear that Waldo has — his leg? 

14. The window was — by Jack. 

Burst. 

15. When the South Sea bubble — , thousands of families were 
made poor. 

16. The cannon was — by an overcharge of powder. 

Choose. 

17. If they had — him, they would have — more wisely. 

18. A better day for a drive could not have been — . 

Come. 

19. Harry — running up to me and asked me to lend him my cap. 

Dive. 

20. The loon saw the flash of my gun and — . 

21. It had — several times before. 

Do. 

22. I know he — it ; for it could not have been — by any one else. 

23. Ask him why he — it. 

Drive. 

24. He was — out of town by his indignant neighbors. 

25. This stake has been — in deep. 

Eat. 

26. The scraps were — up by the dog. 

27. The men have — their dinner. 

Flee, fly, flow. 

28. During the night the river had over — its banks. 

29. Benedict Arnold was forced to — the country. He — to Eng- 
land. 

30. The birds have — away. 

31. The guilty man has — . He — with his family to Mexico. 

32. Our meadow was over— during the freshet. 

33. The yacht — like a bird before the wind. 

34. The lotus-eaters watched the gleaming river as it — seaward. 

35. It had — through the same channel hundreds of years. 

36. The terrified savages — to the mountains. 

37. They shall — from the wrath to come. 

38. The plantations along the Mississippi are over — .. 



OF VERBS 67 

Forget. 

39. Once Sydney Smith, being asked his name by a servant, found 
to his dismay that he had — his own name. 

40. Maude is late ; she must have — the time. 

Freeze. 

41. I thought my ears were — . 

42. He would have — to death if he had not been found by the 

St. Bernard dogs. 

Get. 

43. They have — home. 

44. Whenever any milk was wanted it could be — from the magic 
pitcher. 

45. Grace has — three seats for to-night. 

46. Franklin asked the boy where he had — the bread. 

Go. 

47. The price of coal has — up since last year. 

48. He would have — with us if he had been invited. 

Hang. 

49. Judas, overwhelmed with remorse, went and — himself. 

50. In olden times in England a man was — for stealing a sheep. 

Lay, lie. 

51. Two men — under the hay-stack all yesterday morning. They 
must have — there all night. 

52. — down and rest. 

53. He came in and — his books on his desk. 

54. After he — down he remembered that he had left his pocket- 
book — ing by the open window. 

55. He played until he was so tired that he had to — down. 

56. He has — himself at full length on the grass. 

57. You had better — down for a while after dinner. 

58. I have — down, and I feel rested. 

59. I — down an hour ago to take a nap. 

60. The scene of " The Lady of the Lake" is — in the lake region 
of Scotland. 

61. The tired lambs — down to rest. 

62. Darkness settled down while the soldiers — behind the breast- 
works. 

63. Had you not better — down a while ? 

64. After they had been — ing silent for an hour, the command 



68 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

was given to prepare for a march; afterward the men — down again 
and waited for the next order. 

65. When Romeo saw Juliet — ing in the casket, he — down by 

her side and drank the poison. When Juliet awoke, seeing Romeo 

— ing beside her dead, she took a sword which — near and killed 

herself. 

Plead, 

66. He — tearfully to be set free, but his captors were firm. 

67. Yesterday he — "not guilty." 

Prove. 

68. It cannot be — that Mars is inhabited. 

69. He thinks that the prisoner's innocence has been — . 

Ride. 

70. We had — only a short distance when rain began to fall. 

71. Have you ever — on a bicycle? 

Rise, raise. 

72. She could not get her bread to — . 

73. The price of corn has — . 

74. I — so that I might look around. 

75. The students — him upon their shoulders. 

Run. 

76. You look as if you had — all the way home. 

77. He — up to me and asked what time it was. 

78. He said some thief had taken his coat and had — away with it. 

See. 

79. Charlie, who has just come in, says he — two suspicious look- 
ing men near the barn. 

80. Yes, I — him an hour ago. 

81. That is the best dog I ever — . 

Set, sit. 

82. Please — still while I try to find her. 

83. The old man w r as — ting in his easy-chair. 

84. He — out for Boston day before yesterday. 

85. — down and talk awhile. 

86. The sun — s at six o'clock twice a year. 

87. I — the basket on a rock while I went to the spring. 

88. We — with our friends at the table for over an hour. 

89. In which seat did you — ? 



OF VERBS 69 

90. I am —ting in my study by the window. 

91. The children are dreadfully sunburnt; yesterday they — in 
the sun on the beach all the morning. 

92. Just — down, till I call her. 

93. Annie, I have — the pitcher on the table. 

94. He has — there all the evening. 

95. We were all — ting round the fire. 

96. I had to — up all night. 

97. The farmer after felling the tree found that it had fell (fallen) 
on a — ting hen that had laid (lain) her eggs under its branches. 

Shake. 

98. All the restraints of home had been — off long before. 

99. John — the tree; Lida picked up the nuts. 

100. After they had — off the dust, they entered the house. 

Shoe. 

101. Go, ask Mr. 1ST. whether he has — the horses yet. 

102. He says he — them an hour ago. 

Show. 

103. They have — their good intention. 

104. Has Edward — you his yacht ? Yes, he — it to me this 

Speak. 

105. English is — in many parts of the world. 

106. After he had — a half-hour we had to leave. 

Slay. 

107. David — Goliath with a pebble. 

108. A brave man never boasts of having — his thousands. 

Steal. 

109. He thinks the horse was — . 

110. Some one has — my purse. 

Take. 

111 . I found upon inquiry that I had mis — the house. 

112. Yesterday she — me home with her. 

113. You look as if you had — root there. 

Throw. 

114. He — the ball to me and I — it back. 

115. The Governor's son was — from his pony this morning. 



70 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Write. 

116. I think be should liave — and told us. 

117. He — for the book two days ago. 

118. She has — for samples. 



Drink. 

119. The toast was — with great enthusiasm. 

120. Then they — to the health of the President. 

121. He had once — sour wine and slept in the secret chamber at 

Wolfs Crag. 

Ring. 

122. The fire bell — twice last night. It had not — for two 
months before. 

123. Has the last bell — ? 

Sing. 

124. The choir boys — the " Hallelujah Chorus" from "The Mes- 
siah.'' It seemed to me that they had never — so well. 

Sink. 

125. The steamer struck an iceberg and — with all on board. 

126. They have — two wells, but have got (gotten) no water. 

Spring. 

127. The grass — up like magic last night. 

128. Homer describes a race of men who — from the gods. 

Swim. 

129. I once — three-quarters of a mile without stopping. 

130. Having — the river, the fugitives plunged into the forest. 

EXERCISE XLI. 

Illustrate by original sentences tlie proper use of the past indicative 
and the past participle of each of the folloicing verbs, thus : A swallow 
flew into my room, but before I recovered from my surprise it had 
flown out again. Give to the sentences variety : — 

Awake, beat, begin, beseech, blow, bid (to order), bid (to offer), 
break, burst, choose, come, dive, do, drive, eat, flee, fly, flow, forget, 
freeze, get, go, hang, lay, lie (to recline), plead, prove, ride, rise, run, 
see, set, sit, shake, shoe, show, speak, slay, steal, take, throw, wake, 
write. 



OF VERBS 71 

Contractions. 1 — Some writers hold that in careful writing 
contracted forms should be avoided; but all are agreed 
that in conversation some contractions, if correctly used, 
are natural and proper. The conversation of a person who 
never said " can't" for "can not," " don't" for "do not," 
or " doesn't " for " does not," would seem stiff. Care should, 
however, be taken not to use plural contractions for sin- 
gular, or singular for plural. Don't is a contraction of " do 
not," doesn't of "does not." The proper contraction of 
" is not " is isn't ; of " are not," aren't, Daresn't, if used 
at all, should be used only when " dares not " might be 
substituted. Ain't is a gross vulgarism. 

EXERCISE XLII. 

Insert the proper contraction {doesn't, don't) in each of the blank 
places : — 

1. It — seem possible. 

2. The captain — know what it is to be afraid. 

3. John says he — understand the problem on page 266. 

4. Why — she come ? 

5. — it seem strange that they — come ? 

6. Waldo — improve in penmanship as fast as he should. 

7. It — look like pure water. 

8. Why — he answer ? 

9. The boy will fail, but he — seem to care much. 

May (might) or can (could). 2 — Can and coidd, which de- 
note "ability" or "possibility," are often wrongly used in 
the place of may and might, which are the proper words 
to denote "permission." 

EXERCISE XLIII. 

Fill the blanks with the right words :— 

1. — I leave the room ? 

2. You — go to the concert, but I doubt whether you — get a sent. 

3. — W e by searching find out God ? 

* " Foundations," pp. 81-82. 2 Ibid., pp. 82-83. 



72 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

4. — I have some more lemonade ? 

5. — I have another piece of cake ? 

6. — you tell me which is Mr. Ames's house ? 

7. Mother says I — invite the girls to tea. 

8. A man who knows himself to be right — afford to await the 
judgment of posterity. 

9. — I write at your desk ? 

10. You — come to see me whenever you — find time. 

11. They asked whether they — have a holiday. 

12. They were wondering whether they — be recognized in their 
disguises. 

13. — I have the use of your sled ? 

14. — I trouble you to get me a glass of water ? 

Will or shall. 1 — Some grammarians teach that the future 
tense of "go" is : "I shall or will go," " You shall or will 
go," " He shall or will go," etc. The fact seems to be that 
there is only one form for the future ; the other form, 
often given as an alternative, expresses something more 
than futurity, and is somewhat like a distinct mode. 

A help to the proper use of shall and will is found in the 
original meaning of the words. At first shall and will were 
notional verbs, 2 shall meaning "to owe," "to be obliged," 
and will meaning " to wish :" as, " That faith I shall (owe) 
to God." 3 At present shall and will often retain some trace 
of their original meaning, will implying a reference to the 
will of the subject, and shall implying obligation or com- 
pulsion : as, "I will follow him to the end ;" "'He shall be 
brought to justice ;" sometimes they are mere auxiliaries, 
with no trace of their original meaning : as, " It will rain 
to-day;" "I shall he glad." 

1 "Foundations," pp. 83-88. 

2 By " notional verb " is meant a verb that has some distinct idea or notion 
of its own : as, " I have a ball." Here " have " expresses the idea of posses- 
sion. In the sentence "I have lost my ball," the word "have" does not 
express a distinct idea ; it only helps to form a tense of the verb " lose " : 
that is, it is not notional, but auxiliary. 3 Chaucer. 



OF VERBS 73 

For practical purposes the distinction between shall and 
will may be exhibited as follows : — 

I. IN INDEPENDENT SENTENCES. 

Simple Futurity. Volition, 

implying that the matter is within 
the control of the speaker. 
I (we) shall } I (we) will } 

you will l > go. you shall 2 \ go. 

he (they) will ) he (they) shall ' 2 ) 

II. IN DEPENDENT SENTENCES. 

In noun clauses introduced by "that" and depending 
on such verbs as "say," "fear," "think," etc., when the 
noun clause and the principal clause have different sub- 
jects, the distinction between shall and will is the same as 
in independent sentences. When the noun clause and the 
principal clause have the same subject, and in all other de- 
pendent clauses (introduced by "when," "if," "although," 
etc.), shall is in all persons the proper auxiliary to express 
simple futurity ; will in all persons implies an exercise of 
will on the part of the subject of the clause : as, 

Different subjects : My sister says (that) Dorothy will be glad to go 
with us. (Futurity.) 
My sister says (that) Dorothy shall not be left 
behind. (Volition.) 
Same subject : Dorothy says (that) she shall be glad to go with us. 

(Futurity.) 
Dorothy says (that) she will meet us at the corner. 

(Volition.) 
Other dependent clauses : When He shall appear we shall be like 

Him. (Futurity.) 
If she will come, we will try to make 
her visit pleasant. (Volition.) 

1 Sometimes used in a courteous command to a subordinate officer. 

2 Also used in speaking of what is destined to take place, or of what is 
willed by some ruling power. 

4 



74 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

III. IN QUESTIONS. 

In the first person " will " is never proper, except when it 
repeats a question asked by another person. " Will I go?" 
would mean, "Is it my intention to go?" — a useless ques- 
tion, since the speaker must know his own will without 
asking. 

In the second and third persons the auxiliary which is 
expected in the answer should be used. 

Will you dine with me to-morrow ? I will. (Volition.) 
Shall you be glad to come ? I shall. (Futurity.) 
Will your brother be there, too ? He will. (Futurity.) 

Would or should. 1 — "Should and would follow the same 
rules as shall and will, but they have in addition certain 
meanings peculiarly their own. 

"Should is sometimes used in its original sense of 
'ought ,' as in ' You should not do that.' 

"Would is sometimes used to signify habitual action, as 

in ' The 'Squire would sometimes fall asleep in the most 

pathetic part of my sermon ;' and to express a wish, as, 

< Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my 

son!'" 2 

EXERCISE XLIV. 

Distinguish in meaning between the following sentences : — 

1. I will (shall) meet you in the village. 

2. I will (shall) be obeyed. 

3. Will he come ? Shall he come ? 

4. You will (shall) repent of this. 

5. He will (shall) not see me. 

6. You will (shall) have a new suit to-morrow. 

7. Shall (will) you stay at home to-night ? 

8. We will (shall) not be left alone. 

9. She will (shall) have a reward if she continues faithful. 

1 "Foundations," pp. 88-90. 

3 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised* edition, p. 63. 



OF VERBS 75 

10. He would (should) start in spite of the danger. 

11. Shall (will) you be a candidate ? 

12. He said he would (should) not go. 

13. I shall (will) never see him again. 

14. You will (shall) know to-morrow the result of the examina- 
tion. 

15. Will (shall) he who fails be allowed to try again ? 

16. Will (shall) the admission fee be twenty-five or fifty cents? 

17. He thought there would (should) be a charge. 

18. I will (shall) be the last to go. 

19. He thought I would (should) wait. 

20. He says that she will (shall) not eat watermelon. 

21. If she disobeyed she would (should) be punished. 

22. Do you think I should (would) go under the circumstances ? 

23. If they would (should) come, the danger would be averted. 

24. If I would (should) say so, he would dislike me. 

25. He says he will (shall) not come, since she forgot him at first. 

26. We will (shall) come as soon as we can. 

27. I will (shall) not endure his rudeness. 

28. John says he will (shall) stay to see the game. 

EXERCISE XLV. 

* Insert tlie proper auxiliary {will, shall) in each blank in tlie follow- 
ing sentences : — 

1. I — be drowned ; nobody — help me. 

2. You — have a wet day for your journey. 

3. He says he — not be able to come. 

4. We — not soon forget this picnic. 

5. He — repent of his folly when it is too late. 

6. We — be pleased to have you call. 

7. The gathering — be informal; therefore I — not need my 
dress suit. 

8. We — have occasion to test the wires to-night. 

9. I — be obliged to you for your autograph. 

10. He — be obliged to you. 

11. The managers have agreed that the race — be rowed again. 

12. Do you think we — have rain ? 

13. If the fire is not put out soon, we — have the whole town to 
rebuild. 



76 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

14. Do not fear ; we — be all right. 

15. A prize is offered to whoever — guess this conundrum. 

16. We — find ourselves much mistaken. 

17. The time is coming when we — have to go elsewhere for lum- 
ber. 

18. Are you not afraid that you — miss the train ? 

19. Yes, I fear that I — miss the train. 

20. He is afraid that he — miss the train. 

21. They say I — find picture-galleries in every city. 

22. Think what a happy life we — live. 

23. If you will call for me, I — be glad to go with you. 

24. I — be sixteen in May. 

25. John thinks he — be sick to-morrow. 

26. He says James — be sick to-morrow. 

27. Howard thinks he — probably live to old age. 

28. Howard thinks his brother — probably live to old age. 

29. He tells me that he — be ten next month. 

30. We — be all right if Congress will (shall) adjourn without 
tampering with the tariff. 

31. If we examine the falling snow, we — find that each flake con- 
sists of particles of ice. 

32. He has resolved that he — not answer the letter. 

33. She has resolved that her daughter — not answer his letter. 

34. I — feel greatly obliged if you — tell me. 

35. When He — appear we — be like Him. 

36. I hope we — be in time to get good seats. 

37. When — I come to get my paper ? 

38. — I put more coal on the fire ? 

39. — you be sorry to leave Boston ? 

40. — you be elected ? 

41. When — w T e three meet again ? 

42. — I fetch a chair for you ? 

43. — you be surprised to hear it ? 

44. — you do me the favor to reply by return mail ? 

45. — we have time to get our tickets ? 

46. — you have time to get your ticket ? 

47. — he have time to get his ticket ? 

48. — there be time to get our tickets ? 

49. — you be at leisure after dinner ? 

50. — I find vou at home ? 



OF VERBS 77 

51. When — we Lave peace ? 

52. — he find gold there ? — we find any ? 

53. — we hear a good lecture if we go ? 

54. If I fail on this examination, — I be allowed to take it over 
again ? 

EXERCISE XLVI. 

Insert the proper auxiliary {would, should) in each blank in the fol- 
lowing sentences : — 

1. I — like to know who he is. 

2. We — prefer to go by boat from Rhinebeck. 

3. He — prefer to go by boat from Poughkeepsie. 

4. He — be sorry to miss his train. 

5. I — be sorry to lose this umbrella. 

6. I — feel hurt if he — abuse my hospitality in that way. 

7. Were I to go, I — get tired. 

8. He ought to have known that we — be ruined. 

9. I — think he — know they are fooling him. 

10. The head-master decided that you — be promoted. 

11. Ralph said he — (volition) not stay at the hotel if it were 
not better kept. 

12. Though I — die for it, yet — I do it. 

13. I was afraid she — not come. 

14. If I knew where she is, I — write to her. 

15. We — have been paid, if the treasurer had been at home. 

16. They — have been paid, if the treasurer had been at home. 

17. I said nothing lest she — feel hurt. 

18. I asked her whether she — come again. 

19. He promised that it — not occur again. 

20. If it — rain, we would not start. 

21. Queen Isabella offered a reward to the first man who — dis- 
cover land. 

22. Cornelia was afraid that we — miss the train. 

23. I expected that they — accept the proposal. 

24. He promised that it — not occur again. 

25. Franklin resolved that Collins — row. Collins said that he — 
not row, but that Franklin — row in his place. 

26. At first I did not think I — enjoy seeing the World's Fair. 

27. What — we do without our friends ? 

28. If he — come to-day, would (should) you be ready ? 



78 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Questions of Tense. 1 — The tense of a verb should cor- 
rectly express the time referred to. Most errors in the use 
of tenses are violations of some one of the following prin- 
ciples, which are established by good usage : — 

1. Principal verbs referring to the same time should be 
in the same tense. 

2. The perfect indicative represents something as now 
completed — as begun in the past but continuing till the 
present, at least in its consequences : as, " I have lost my 
book" (so that now I do not have it); " This house has 
stood for ninety years" (it is still standing); "Bishop 
Brooks has died, but he has left us his example " (he is not 
now among us, but we have his example). 

3. The tense of the verb in a dependent clause varies 
with the tense of the principal verb : 2 as, 

I know he will come. 

I knew he would come. 

I haw taken the first train, that I may arrive early. 

I had taken the first train, that I might arrive early. 

Blanche will be frightened if she sees the bat. 

Blanche would be frightened if she saw the hat. 

Blanche would have been frightened if she had seen the bat. 

Present facts and unchangeable truths, however, should 
be expressed in the present tense, regardless of the tense 
of the principal verb: as, "What did you say his name 
is?" 

4. The perfect infinitive is properly used to denote action 
which is completed at the time denoted by the principal 
verb : as, " I am glad to have seen Niagara Falls ;" " He 
felt sorry to have hurt your feelings." 

Exception. — Ought, must, need, and should (in the sense of " ought ") 
have no distinctive form to denote past time; with these verbs present 

1 "Foundations," pp. 93-98. 

2 This is sometimes called the " Law of the Sequence of Tenses." 



or verbs 79 

time is denoted by putting the complementary infinitive in the present 
tense, past time is denoted by putting the complementary infinitive in the 
perfect tense: as, "You ought to go," " You ought to have gone;" "He 
should be careful," " He should have been careful." A similar change from 
the present to the perfect infinitive is found after could and might in some 
of their uses : as, " I could go," " I could have gone ;" " You might an- 
swer" " You might have answered." 

EXERCISE XLVII. 

Distinguish in meaning between the following : — 

1. The house stood (has stood) twenty years. 

2. The messenger came (has come). 

3. He should stay (have stayed). 

4. It rained (has rained) for two weeks. 

5. He was believed to live (to have lived) a happy life. 

6. He ought to go (to have gone). 

7. He deposited (has deposited) the money in bank. 

8. I am sure I could go (have gone) alone. 

9. Yesterday at three o'clock I completed (had completed) my 
work. 

10. He must be (have been) weary. 

11. He appeared to be (have been) crying. 

12. He need not go. He need not have gone. 

13. The horse jumped (had jumped) into the field, and began (had 
begun) to eat the corn. 

14. Achilles is said to be (have been) buried at the foot of this hill. 

EXERCISE XLVIII. 

Which of the italicized forms is right? — 

1. Where did you say Pike's Peak is (was) ? 

2. I intended to do (to have done) it yesterday. 

3. Atlas is (was) a mythical giant who was supposed to hold (to 
have held) the sky on his shoulders. 

4. I do not think that any one would say that winter is (was) 
preferable to spring. 

5. Cadmus was supposed to build (to have built) Thebes. 

6. Your father grieves to hear (to have heard) of your bad conduct. 

7. Would he have been willing to go (to have gone) with you ? 

8. I meant to write (to have written) yesterday. 

9. He tried to learn how far it is (was) from New York to Syracuse. 



80 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

10. He hardly knew that two and two make (made) four. 

11. His experience proved that there is (was) many a slip 'twixt 
the cup and the lip. 

12. Carrie knew that water is (was) composed of two gases. 

13. It was their duty to prevent (to have prevented) this outrage. 

14. He was reported to rescue (to have rescued) the drowning man. 

15. It would have been unkind to refuse (to have refused) to help (to 
have helped) him. 

16. It would not have been difficult to prevent (to have prevented) 
the disaster. 

17. Where did you say Gettysburg is (was) ? 

18. It was as true as that he is (was) listening to me when I said it. 

19. It was harder than I expected it would be (have been). 

20. Homer is supposed to be (to have been) born about 850 B.C. 

21. When I came I intended to buy (to have bought) all Paris. 

22. Washington is known to have (to have had) many narrow es- 
capes. 

23. If you would only wait, your success will (would) be certain. 

24. Is he very sick ? I should say he is (was). 

25. Who first asserted that virtue is (was) its own reward ? 

26. We have done no more than it was our duty to do (to have 
done). 

27. What building is (was) that which we just passed ? 

28. He impressed on us the truth that honesty is (teas) the best 
policy. 

29. He expected to see (to have seen) you to-morrow. 

30. He expected to win (to have won) the suit, and was astonished 
at the decision of the court. 

31. The result of such constant reading by poor light would have 
been to destroy (to have destroyed) his sight.' 

32. It would have given me great satisfaction to relieve (to have re- 
lieved) him from his distress. 

33. Who would have thought it possible to receive (to have received) 
a reply from India so soon ? 

34. It would have been better to wait (to have waited). 

35. I should like to hear (to have heard) Daniel Webster's reply to 
Hayne. 

36. The furniture was to be (to have been) sold at auction. 

37. It was a pity I was the only child, for my mother had fond- 
ness of heart enough to spoil (to have spoiled) a dozen children. 



OF VERBS 81 

38. I am writing to hirn so that he may {might) be ready for us. 

39. I have written to him so that he may {might) be ready for us. 

40. I wrote to him so that he may {might) be ready for us. 

EXERCISE XLIX. 

Examine the tenses in the following sentences, explain any errors 
icliich you find, and correct them : — 

1. I knew him since boyhood. 

2. It was a superstition among the Mexicans that a bullet will not 
kill a man unless it has his name stamped on it. 

3. Being absent from the last recitation, I am unable to write on 
the subject assigned this morning. 

4. Soon after Oliver reached home a servant announces the pres- 
ence of Charles. 

5. " ' Got any luck V says I. 'No/ says he. ' Well,' says I, ' I've 
got the finest string of trout ever was seen.'" 

6. Be virtuous and you would be happy. 

7. Stackhouse believed that he solved the problem he had so long 
studied over, and yesterday afternoon he started from his house, No. 
2446 North Tenth Street, to make a test. 

8. This beautiful little bird that appears to the king and tries to 
warn him, was not an ordinary bird. 

9. Next September I shall be at school three years. 

10. I know very little about the " Arabian Nights," for I have 
never read any of the stories before I came to this school. 

11. If he received your instructions he would have obeyed them. 

12. Before he was going to have the sign printed he submitted it 
to his friends for corrections. 

13. The Balloon Society recently invited Mr. Gould to read before 
them a paper on yachting. Mr. Gould, in reply, has expressed 
regret that the shortness of his visit will prevent him from accepting 
the invitation. 

14. I should be obliged to him if he will gratify me in that respect. 

15. While he was in England the British had given hirn very hon- 
orable positions in America in order to have his help if they had any 
trouble with the colonies. 

16. Up and down the engines pounded. It is a good twenty-one 

knots now, and the upper deck abaft the chart-house began rapidly 

to ill. 

4* 



82 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

17. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln regret that a previous engagement will 
prevent them from accepting Mrs. Black's kind invitation for Thurs- 
day. 

18. Mr. Rockwell will accept with pleasure the invitation of Mr. 
and Mrs. Pembroke for Tuesday evening, December 3d. 

19. I am sure that he has been there and did what was required 
of him. 

20. He might probably have been desirous, in the first place, to 
have dried his clothes and refreshed himself. 

21. He could not have failed to have aroused suspicion. 

22. When, on the return of Dr. Primrose's son Moses from the 
Fair, the family had discovered how he had been cheated, we are 
shown an admirable picture of home life. 

23. Apart from his love, Orlando was also a noble youth. When 
old Adam, at last overcome by fatigue, sank in the footsteps of Or- 
lando, Orlando tries to encourage and assist him. 

24. The increase in tonnage was not so rapid as it would have 
been were it not for the Act of 1790. 

Indicative or Subjunctive. 1 — The modern tendency to 
drop the subjunctive is unfortunate, for the distinction be- 
tween the subjunctive and the indicative is too useful to be 
abandoned. 2 A knowledge of the difference between these 
modes in English is especially important in view of the 
difficulty which pupils complain of in mastering the uses 
of the Latin subjunctive or the Greek subjunctive and op- 
tative. 3 For these reasons more space is given to the sub- 
junctive in this book than would be called for by a mere 
discussion of modern English usage. 

» " Foundations," pp. 98-101. 

2 " Some people seem to think that the subjunctive mood is as good as 
lost that it is doomed, and that its retention is hopeless. If its function 
were generally appreciated, it might even now be saved. . . . If we lose the 
Subjunctive Verb, it will certainly be a grievous impoverishment to our 
literary language, were it only for its value in giving variation to diction — 
and I make bold to assert that the writer who helps to keep it up deserves 
public gratitude." — John Earle : English Prose, its Elements, History, and 
Usage, p. 172. 

3 " The lecturer also put in a plea for more vitality in the teaching of 



OF VERBS 83 

Forms of the Subjunctive. — In form the English subjunc- 
tive differs from the indicative in several ways : — 

1. In the single case of the verb to be there are distinct 
forms for the present and past tenses, namely : — 

Present. Past. 

I, we \ I were, we \ 

tbou, you >be. thou wert, you >were. 

he, they ) he were, they ) 

Examples. — " See that my room be 1 got ready at once." " I will work 
you a banner if you be 1 victorious." "The headsman feels if the axe be 1 
sharp." "Take care lest you be deceived." "Judge not that ye be not 
judged." " I will beard them, though they be 1 more fanged than wolves and 
bears." "If I were you, I would not say that." "If you were more studi- 
ous, you would rank high." " Would that my parents were here !" 

2. In other verbs the subjunctive form is distinguishable 
from the indicative in the second and third persons singu- 
lar by the absence of the personal endings -th, -s, or st : as, 

Present Indicative : I have, thou hast, he has (hath). 
Subjunctive : I have, thou have, he have. 
Past Indicative : I had, thou hadst, he had. 
Subjunctive: I had, thou had, he had. 

Present Indicative : I come, thou comest, he comes (cometh). 
Subjunctive : I come, thou come, he come. 
Past Indicative : I came, thou earnest, he came. 
Subjunctive : I came, thou came, he came. 

English, which ought to be made the gate to other languages. Many of the 
difficult questions of Latin syntax might be examined in the field of Eng- 
lish, if only we were careful to treat our English critically. Whereas most 
grammars cut the ground from under them by denying the existence of a 
Subjunctive Mood. Until teachers recognize generally that, in such a sen- 
tence as * If he had done it, it had been better,' we have a Subjunctive in 
both clauses, and a sentence essentially different from * If he had loved her 
before, he now adored her,' English must forfeit half its value, both as a 
mental discipline and as a means of approach to Latin, Greek, and Ger- 
man." — From a report of a Lecture by Prof. Sonnenschein, of the Mason 
College, quoted in Earle's "English Prose," p. 55. 

1 In such sentences the indicative would be, according to modern usage, 
correct, and it is more common. 



84 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Examples. — "Long live the king!" "If thou go, see that thou offend 
not." " It is better he die." " Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." 
" Unless he behave 1 better, he will be punished." "If I will that he tarry 1 
till I come, what is that to thee ?" " Govern well thy appetite, lest sin sur- 
prise thee." "If my sister saw this snake, she would be frightened." "I 
wish I knew where Charles is." 

The perfect and pluperfect subjunctives are of course 
formed by means of the subjunctive present and past tenses 
of "have." 

3. Very often, instead of the simple subjunctive forms, 
we use auxiliary verbs — may (past, might) and would or 
should — to express the subjunctive idea. "May" ("might") 
is common as an equivalent for the subjunctive mode in 
clauses denoting a purpose, a wish, a hope, or a fear : as, 
"Bring him the book, that he may read to us ;" "May he 
rest in peace ;" "I hope you may succeed /" "They were 
afraid we might lose the way," "Would" and "should" 
are common substitutes for all tenses of the subjunctive : 
as, "Walk carefully lest you (stumble) should stumble /" 
"If he (come) should come, he will find me at home ;" "It 
(were) would be better if he (went) should go alone ;" " If 
my sister had seen this mouse, she (had been) would have 
been frightened." In these sentences either the form in 
parenthesis or the italicized form is correct, though the lat- 
ter is more common. 

Note. — It does not follow that the verbs " may," " would," and "should" 
always express the subjunctive idea. In the following sentences, for in- 
stance, they express the indicative idea: "You may (i.e., are permitted to) 
stay an hour;" "You should {i.e., ought to) be punctual;" "Edith would 
not (i.e., was unwilling to) come." In such sentences "may," "should," 
and "would" make simple statements of fact. 

Uses of the Subjunctive. — The indicative form is used 
in expressing a fact or what is assumed to be a fact ; as, 
"He thinks he is ill ;" the subjunctive form indicates some 

1 In such sentences the indicative would be, according to modern usa^e, 
correct, and it is more common. 



OF VERBS 85 

uncertainty or doubt in the speaker's mind : as, " Whether 
it rain or not, I will go." 

The subjunctive idea occurs most frequently, perhaps, in 
conditional sentences, A conditional sentence is one that 
contains a condition or supposition. A supposition may 
refer to present, past, or future time. If it refers to pres- 
ent or past time, it may be viewed by the speaker as true, 
untrue, or as a mere supposition with nothing implied as 
to its truth ; if it refers to the future, it may be viewed as 
either likely or unlikely. A supposition which is assumed 
to be true, or which is made without any hint as to its cor- 
rectness, is expressed by the indicative. A supposition 
which is viewed by the speaker as untrue or unlikely is 
expressed by the subjunctive or a periphrase 1 for the sub- 
junctive. When the character of the supposition makes 
the conclusion untrue or unlikely, the conclusion also is ex- 
pressed by the subjunctive or a periphrase 1 for the sub- 
junctive. The use of tenses is peculiar, as will be seen from 
the following table of a few common forms of conditional 
sentences. The tenses should be carefully noted : — 

r If it rains (is raining) now, I am sorry. 

Present indicative: A simple supposition without any hint as to its correctness. 
If it rained (were raining), I should be sorry. 
Past subjunctive, both clauses: The speaker implies that it is not raining. 

f If it rained (was raining), I was sorry. 
§5 J Past indicative: No suggestion of doubt. 
P* | If it had rained, I should have been sorry. 

^ Past perfect subjunctive, both clauses: The speaker implies that it did not rain. 

If it rains, I shall be sorry. 

Present indicative: The common, though inexact, form of a simple future sup- 
If it rain, I shall be sorry. [position. 

Present subjunctive: Less common, but more exact. The future is uncertain. 
If it should (were to) rain, I should be sorry. 

Subjunctive, both clauses : The uncertainty is emphasized by the auxiliary form; 
the chances of rain seem more remote. 






Ph 



as 

H 
P 



1 See paragraph 3, page 84. The forms in " would " and " should " in 
conditional sentences, though they express the subjunctive idea, can hardly 
be called the "subjunctive mood." Sometimes they are called the "con- 
ditional mood." 



86 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Note 1. — When if is equivalent to " whenever," the condition is called 
"general," to distinguish it from " particular " conditions, which refer to 
some particular act at some particular time. General conditions always 
take the indicative : as, " If (whenever) it rains, I stay at home." 

Note 2. — Sometimes there is no " if," and then the verb or a part of the 
verb precedes the subject: as, "Were it raining, I should be sorry;" 
"Had it been raining, I should have been sorry." 

Note 3. — In such sentences as " If thou hadst been here, my brother had 
not died," it may perhaps be questioned whether " had not died " is indica- 
tive, as in the Greek, or subjunctive, as in the Latin, idiom. 

Note 4. — Clauses introduced by though and unless take the same forms 
as clauses introduced by if. 

Wishes are naturally expressed in the subjunctive. The 
present subjunctive denotes a wish for the future: as, 
"Thy kingdom come" The past subjunctive denotes a 
wish for the present which is unfulfilled: as, "I wish I 
were a bird." The past perfect subjunctive denotes a wish 
contrary to a past fact : as, " I wish you had been there." 

EXERCISE L. 

Tell the time referred to in each of the following sentences, and wheth- 
er the speaker regards the condition as true, untrue, or uncertain : — 

1. If all men did their duty, there would be less misery in the 
world. 

2. Had I heard of the affair sooner, this misfortune would not 
have happened. 

3. Were it true, I would say so. 

4. I would go with you if I could spare the time. 

5. She could sing if she would. 

6. If love be rough with you, be rough with love. 

7. If all the year were playing holidays, to play would be as 
tedious as to work. 

8. If thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wicked- 
ness, he shall die in his iniquity. 

9. He brags as if he were of note. 

10. If the natural course of this stream be obstructed, the water 
will make a new channel. 

11. If the natural course of a stream is obstructed, the water will 
make a new channel. 



OF VERBS 87 

12. If the book was in my library, some one must have borrowed it. 

13. If be knows the way, he does not need a guide. 

14. If he still wishes to go, he may take my horse. 

15. Had he followed my advice, he would be rich. 

16. Had she lived a twelvemonth more 

She had not died to-day. 

17. Though gods they were, as men they died. 

18. Though the law is severe, we must obey it. 

19. If the law be severe, we must change it. 

20. Though the vase were made of steel, the servant would break it. 

21. Though the vase was made of steel, the servant broke it. 

EXERCISE LI. 

Tell the difference in meaning between the italicized forms : — 

1. If he is {were) studious, he will {would) excel. 

2. If he was {had been) studious, he excelled {icould have excelled). 

3. Oh, that you may be {were, had been) blameless. 

4. Though he deceive {deceives) me, yet will I trust him. 

5. Though he deceived me, yet will {would) I trust him. 

6. Though he deceived {had deceived) me, yet would I trust him. 

7. Though the boy's coat icas {icere) made of silk, he soiled {would 
soil) it. 

EXERCISE LII. 

Which of the italicized forms is preferable ? Give the reason : — 

1. They act as if it was {were) possible to deceive us. 

2. If I was {were) in his place, I would go. 

3. I wish my mother was {were) here. 

4. See that no 'one is {be) forgotten. 

5. If this is {be) treason, make the most of it. 

6. If it rain {rains), the w ? ork is delayed. 

7. If it rain {rains), the work will be delayed. 

8. Take care lest you are {be) carried away by your feelings. 

9. If he acquire (acquires) riches, they may make him worldly. 

10. I could jump across the stream if it was {were) necessary. 

11. If to-morrow is (be) breezy, we will go sailing. 

12. If my father was {were) here, he would enjoy this. 

13. If she was {were) at the reception, I did not see her. 

14. If he speak {speaks) only to display his talents, he is unworthy 
of attention. 



88 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

15. I wish I was {icere) at Lome. 

16. Though this seem {seems) improbable, it is true. 

17. I should be surprised if this marriage take {took, will take, 
should take) place. 

18. If the book was {were) in my library, I would send it. 

19. I will see that he obey {obeys) you. 

20. If a man smite {smites) his servant and the servant die {dies), the 
man shall surely be put to death. 

21. Though he is {be) poor and helpless now, you may rest assured 
that he will not remain so. 

22. I wish I was {icere) a musician. 

23. Make haste lest your ardor cool {cools). 

24. He will continue his course, though it cost {costs) him his life. 

25. Though a liar speak {speaks) the truth, lie will hardly be be- 
lieved. 

28. Govern well thy appetite, lest sin surprise {surprises) thee. 

27. Though gold is {be) more precious than iron, iron is more use- 
ful than gold. 

28. Whether he go {goes) or not, it is your duty to go. 

29. If he was {were, should be) elected, it would be his ruin. 

30. If a picture is {be) admired by none but painters, the picture is 
bad. 

31. If one went {should go) unto them from the dead, they would 
repent. 

32. If an animal of any kind was {were) kept shut up in a box, it 
would surely die. 

33. They will not believe, though one rose {rise) from the dead. 

34. Clerk wanted. It is indispensable that he write {writes) a good 
hand and have {has) some knowledge of book-keeping. 

35. If the debtor pay {pays) the debt, he shall be discharged. 

36. If my sister go {goes), which I think is doubtful, she will surely 
call for you. 

37. The most glorious hero that ever desolated nations might have 
mouldered into oblivion did {had) not some historian take {taken) him 
into favor. 

« 38. He will see his error if he substitute {substitutes) " that which " 
for "what." 

39. Though Dorothy is {be) young, she is tall. 

40. Unless he take (takes) better care of his health, his constitution 
will break down. 



OF VERBS 89 

41. If I lend you my horse, I shall {should) have to borrow one 
myself. 

42. I hope that if any of my readers comes {come, should come) to 
New Haven, he may find the city just as I have described it. 

Singular or Plural. 1 — The following principles, estab- 
lished by good usage, writers or speakers are liable to for- 
get:— 

1. The expressions each, every, many a, either, and neither 
are singular. 

2. When the subject consists of singular nouns or pro- 
nouns connected by or, either — or, or neither — nor, the verb 
must be singular. 

3. Words joined to the subject by with, together icith, in 
addition to, or as well as, are not a part of the grammatical 
subject, but are parenthetical, and therefore do not affect 
the number of the verb. 

4. Since a relative pronoun has the number and person 
of its antecedent, a verb whose subject is a relative pro- 
noun agrees in person and number with the antecedent of 
the relative. 

5. " When the subject though plural in form is singular 
in sense, the verb should be singular ; when the subject 
though singular in form is plural in sense, the verb should 
be plural :" 2 as, " c Gulliver's Travels ' was written by 
Swift;" "Fiv» hundred dollars is a large sum;" "Half of 
them are gone." 

G. " A collective noun, when it refers to the collection 
as a whole, is singular in sense, and therefore requires a 
singular verb ; when it refers to the individual persons or 
things of the collection, it is plural and requires a plural 
verb." 3 

1 "Foundations," pp. 101-108. 

2 A. S. Hill: Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 56. 

3 Ibid., p. 57. 



90 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

EXERCISE LIII. 

Insert the proper form of the verb il to be" in each of the blank 
places : — 

1. "Horses" — a common noun. 

2. Such phenomena — very strange. 

3. The ship with all her crew — lost. 

4. No less than fifty dollars — paid for what was not worth 
twenty. 

5. Homer, as well as Virgil, — once students (a student) on the 
banks of the Rhine. 

6. The committee — divided in its (their) judgment. 

7. The genii who — expected to be present — deaf to every call. 

8. France was once divided into a number of kingdoms, each of 
which — ruled by a duke. 

9. Sir Richard Steele lived in the reign of Queen Anne, when the 
tone of gentlemen's characters — very low. 

10. Each man employed in this department — paid for his (their) 
work. 

11. Mathematics — my hardest study. 

12. There — once two boys who were so exactly alike in appear- 
ance that they could not be distinguished. 

13. Each of the heads of the Chimera — able to spit fire. 

14. The jury — eating dinner. 

15. "Plutarch's Lives " — an interesting book. 

16. One of the most beautiful features of Kennebunkport — the 
tremendous rocks all along the coast. 

17. The richness of her arms and apparel — conspicuous in the 
foremost ranks. 

18. My robe and my integrity to heaven* 
— all I dare now call ray own. 

19. Refreshing as springs in the desert to their long-languishing 
eyes — the sight of his white cravat and his boots of Parisian polish. 

20. The "Arabian Nights" in complete form comprise (comprises) 
twenty volumes and — written by different men. 

21. Fifty dollars a month — paid by the government to the widow 
of the colonel. 

22. Ten minutes — spent in a writing exercise. 

23. — either of you going to the village ? 

24. Our happiness or our sorrow — largely due to our own actions. 



OF VERBS 91 

25. The guidance as well as the love of a mother — wanting. 

26. Every one of these books — mine. 

27. General Custer with his whole force — massacred by Indians. 

28. Three times three — nine. 

29. Nearly three hundred yards of the track — under water. 

30. To admit the existence of God and then to refuse to worship 
him — inconsistent. 

31. The ebb and flow of the tides — caused by the attraction of 
the moon. 

32. Six dollars a week — all he earns. 

33. Nine-tenths of his time — wasted. 

34. Three quarts of oats — enough for a horse's meal. 

35. " Tales of a Wayside Inn" — written by Longfellow. 

36. The rest of the Republican ticket — elected. 

EXERCISE LIV. 

Which of the italicized forms is preferable? — 

1. A variety of pleasing objects charm {charms) the eye. 

2. Already a train or two has (have) come in. 

3. Each day and each hour bring (brings) contrary blessings. 

4. The Senate has (have) adjourned. 

5. No monstrous height, or length, or breadth appear (appears). 

6. I am the general who command (commands) you. 

7. Many a captain with all his crew has (have) been lost at sea. 

8. The jury who (which) was (were) out all night has (have) just 
returned a verdict. 

9. He dare (dares) not touch a hair of Catiline. 

10. The ambition and activity of this railroad has (have) done much 
towards the civilization of the world. 

11. Thackeray's "English Humorists" treat (treats) not of the 
writings of the humorists so much as of their characters and lives. 

12. Addison was one of the best writers that has (have) ever lived. 

13. This is one of the books that give (gives) me pleasure. 

14. Give me one of the books that is (are) lying on the table. 

15. This is one of the most important questions that has (have) 
come up. 

16. Nothing but vain and foolish pursuits delight (delights) some 
persons. 

17. Six months' interest is (are) due. 



92 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

18. You are not tbe first one that has (have) been deceived in that 
way. 

19. My room is one of those that overlook (overlooks) the garden. 

20. A committee teas (icere) appointed to investigate the matter. 

21. The greater part of the audience teas (were) pleased. 

22. The public is (are) respectfully invited. 

23. The jury teas (were) not unanimous. 

24. Generation after generation pass (passes) away. 

25. A glimpse of gable roof and red chimneys add (adds) far more 
to the beauty of such a scene than could the grandest palace. 

26. The society hold (holds) their (its) meetings weekly. 

27. What is (are) the gender, the number, and the person of the 
following words ? 

28. He made one of the best speeches that has (have) been delivered 
before the school. 

29. He is one of those persons who is (are) quick to take offence. 

30. This (these) scanty data is (are) all we have. 

31. If the meaning of these passages is not carefully explained, 
some of the congregation may think that Matthew or Paul is (are) 
guilty of some unorthodox opinions. 

Misused Verbs. — See the remarks under "Misused 
Nouns." 

I. A RESEMBLANCE IN SOUND MISLEADS. 1 

Accredit, credit.— " To accredit means 'to invest with credit or au- 
thority,' or ' to send with letters credential;' to credit means ' to be- 
lieve,' " 2 or " to put to the credit of." 

Arise, rise.— "The choice between these w T ords was primarily, and 
still often is, a matter of rhythm [euphony]. The literal meanings, 
however, or those which seem literal, have become more associated 
with rise, and the consciously figurative with arise: as, he rose from 
the chair; the sun rose; the provinces rose in revolt : trouble arose ; 
1 music arose with its voluptuous swell.' " 3 

Captivate, capture.— To captivate means "to fascinate"; to capture, 
" to take prisoner." 

Depreciate, deprecate.— To depreciate means "to bring down in 

1 "Foundations," p. 109. 

2 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 38. 

3 The Century Dictionary. 



OF VERBS 93 

value," "to disparage;" to deprecate means "to argue earnestly 
against" or "to express regret for." 

Impugn, impute.— To impugn means "to call in question;" to im- 
pute means "to ascribe to." 

Loan, lend.— The use of loan as a verb is not sanctioned by good 
use. Properly the word is a noun. A loan is money which a per- 
son lends. 

EXERCISE LV. 

Tell the difference in meaning between — 

1. The Amazon captivated (captured) our hero. 

2. The king depreciated (deprecated) Napoleon's effort to raise a 
new army. 

3. The readiness with which men impute (impugn) motives is 
much to be regretted. 

EXERCISE LVI. 

Insert the proper word in each blank, and give the reason for your 
choice:— Accredit, credit. 

1. Mr. Lowell was — ed as Minister Plenipotentiary to England. 

2. These reasons will — his opinion. 

3. He did not — the strange report. 

4. The contribution of five dollars previously — ed to Mr. Will- 
iams came from Mr. Brown. 

5. Mr. Sherman is well — ed as a writer on finance. 

6. The bank has not — ed me with the interest on the deposit. 

Arise, rise. 

7. The court — at four o'clock. 

8. At the discharge of a gun whole flocks of quail would — . 

9. The idea of a reward did not — in his mind. 

10. Most of these appalling accidents — from negligence. 

11. The men — against their officers. 

12. Other cases of mutiny may — . 

Captivate, capture. 

13. Her husband was — d in the battle of Gettysburg. 

14. Mr. S. was — d by the young widow's beauty. 

15. Let us attack them now and try to — the whole squad. 

16. It is not merely what Chaucer has to say, but even more the 
agreeable way he has of saying it, that — s our attention and gives 
him an assured place in literature. 



94 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Depreciate, deprecate. 

17. Financial panics are likely to follow a — d currency. 

18. His purpose was — d by all who knew it. 

19. Both parties — war. 

20. It is natural for those who have not succeeded to — the work 
of those who have. 

21. He — s his daughter's desire to earn her own living. 

22. An injurious consequence of asceticism was a tendency to — 
the character and the position of woman. 

Impugn, impute. 

23. We cannot deny the conclusion of a proposition of Euclid 
without — ing the axioms which are the basis of its demonstration. 

24. The gentleman — s my honesty. 

25. The power of fortune is confessed only by the miserable, for 
the happy — all their success to prudence and merit. 

26. Mr. X. is uncharitable ; he always — s bad motives. 

II. A RESEMBLANCE IX SENSE MISLEADS. 1 

Antagonize, oppose.— To antagonize means properly ' ' to struggle 
against," "to oppose actively," or "to counteract." "In England, 
antagonizing forces must be of the same kind, but in the political 
phraseology of the L T nited States a person may antagonize {i.e., op- 
pose) a measure." 2 

Calculate, intend.— To calculate means properly " to compute math- 
ematically," or "to adjust or adapt" for something. In the sense 
of intend it is not in good use. 

Carry, bring, fetch.— To carry means " to take along in going;" to 
bring means "to take along in coming;" to fetch means "to go, get, 
and bring." 

Champion, support.— The word champion is very much overworked, 
being often used in the general sense of "support." It should be 
restricted to cases in which there is the idea of entering the lists as 
champion of a cause. 

Claim, assert, allege, maintain, declare, affirm, state. — To claim 
means properly " to demand as one's own or one's due." It is often 
loosely used, especially in the United States, for "assert," "allege," 
"maintain," " declare," or " affirm." To assert is " to say or declare 
in the face of implied denial or doubt." To allege is "■ to assert with- 

1 "Foundations," pp. 110-114. * Murray's Dictionary. 



OF VERBS 95 

out proof." To maintain is "to uphold by argument." To declare 
is "to say publicly, clearly, or emphatically." To affirm is "to assert 
on one's reputation for knowledge or truthfulness." To state, which 
is also often misused in the sense of "say," " assert," " allege," "de- 
clare," or "affirm," means properly " to express formally and in de- 
tail;" it always implies detail. (See "Foundations," pp. 113, 114, 
and "Practical Exercises," p. 99.) 

Confess, admit.— " Admit, in cases into which the idea of confession 
does not enter, is preferable to confess. On grounds of idiom, how- 
ever, ' I must confess ' and the parenthetical ' I confess ' are exempt 
from the operation of this rule." x 

Demand, ask.— To demand means " to ask for with authority or with 
insistence." The use of "demand" in the sense of "ask" is bor- 
rowed, possibly, from the French use of demander. 

Hire, let, lease.— To hire means "to obtain the use of;" to let, "to 
give the use of." To lease means "to give the use of by lease." The 
owner of a house leases it ; the person who occupies it takes a lease 
of it. 

Learn, teach.— Learn means to "acquire " knowledge, not to " im- 
part " it. In the latter sense the proper word is teach. 

" I have more information to-day than I had before," said Mr. Sheehan. 

" This has learned you something," said Mr. Goff. 

" Oh no," replied Mr. Sheehan, " it has taught me something." 2 

Like, love.— Like and love differ greatly in strength or warmth, and 
may differ in kind. Like may be feeble and cool, and it never has 
the intensity of love. We may like or even love a person ; we only 
like the most palatable kind of food. With an infinitive, like is the 
common word, love being appropriate only in the hyperbole of poet- 
ical or rhetorical feeling. 3 

Materialize, appear.— To materialize properly means "to make or 
to become physically perceptible :" as, " by means of letters we ma- 
terialize our ideas and make them as lasting as ink and paper;" 
" the ideas of the sculptor materialize in marble." 

Plead, argue.— See plea, argument, p. 29. 

Stay, stop.— "Stay, as in 'At what hotel are you staying V is prefer- 
able to stop, since stop also means ' to stop without staying.' " 4 

1 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 18. 

* Newspaper report. 3 See the Century Dictionary. 

4 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 



96 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Transpire, happen.— To transpire means properly "to escape from 
secrecy to notice," "to leak out ;" it should not be used in the sense 
of to happen. 

EXERCISE LVII. 

Tell the difference in meaning between — 

1. Please bring {fetch) a chair from the next room. 

2. You had better carry (bring) an umbrella with you. 

3. He asserts {alleges, maintains, declaims, affirms, says) that he has 
been robbed. 

4. Mr. A. stated {declared) his opinion. 

5. He admits {confesses) the fault. 

6. The grocer asks for {demands) his money. 

7. He has let {hired) the boat for the afternoon. 

8. We have leased {taken a lease of) the cottage. 

9. He is learning {teaching) the alphabet. 

10. Dorothy likes {loves) Helen. 

11. Washington stayed {stopped) at this house on his way to Phila- 
delphia. 

12. It transpired {happened) that we disagreed. 

EXERCISE LVIII. 

Insert the proper word in each blank, and give the reason for your 

choice : — ] 

Antagonize, oppose. 

1. Ex-Secretary Windom — d ex- Secretary Sherman's bill. 

2. The body is balanced by an incessant shifting of the muscles, 
one group — ing the other. 

3. I am too weak to — your cunning. 

Calculate, intend. 

4. To-morrow he — s to hunt the boar. 

5. Bradley was able to — the velocity of light. 

6. He — s to go. 

Carry, feteh, bring. 

7. Farmers — their potatoes to market. 

8. What shall I — you from Paris ? 

9. Harry, please — a chair from the hall. 

10. Go to the flock and — me two young lambs. 

1 In some of the sentences one verb or another is allowable, according to 
the meaning intended. 



OF VERBS 97 

11. The Spartan was to — his shield home, or to be borne home 
on it. 

12. When he dieth, he shall — nothing away. 

Champion, support. 

13. The Republican party — ed this measure. 

14. He — ed the policy of the administration. 

15. Gareth — ed the cause of Lynette in the combats with the 
craven knights. 

Claim, assert, allege, maintain, declare, affirm, state, say. 

16. The heavens — the glory of God. 

17. Rhoda constantly — d that it was even so. 

18. I have endeavored to — nothing but what I have good author- 
ity for. 

19. Nay, if my Lord — d that black was white, 
My word was this, your honour's in the right. 

20. She — s her innocence in the strongest terms. 

21. I will — what He hath done for my soul. 

22. What if Nemesis — repayment ? 

23. It is not directly — d, but it seems to be implied. 

24. That such a report existed in Claudian's time cannot now 
be — d. 

25. Geologists — that before there were men on earth this im- 
mense gulf was a forest. 

26. He fared on in haste to — his kingdom. 

27. Will Mr. L. — his reasons for disagreeing with the rest of the 
committee ? 

28. He — s that he will not come. 

29. Both sides — the victory. 

30. There is another point which — s our attention. 

31. He — d that he had been robbed by A., but he showed no 
proofs. 

32. He — s that the thief attacked him on Third Street. 

33. Please — all the particulars of the disaster. 

34. The woman — s that she left Bangor Thursday night, and was 
put off the train at Hermon for not paying her fare. 

Confess, admit. 

35. He — s that his opponent is a good man. 

36. I — that I spoke too hastily. 

5 



98 PKACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

37. I — that John was a thief. 

38. Every man must — that he has occasional fits of bad temper. 

39. The problem, I — , is difficult. 

Demand, ask. 

40. He — s why I will not go with him. 

41. The highwayman — ed their purses. 

42. The pound of flesh which I — of hiin 

I dearly bought; 'tis mine, and I will have it. 

43. He — ed the way to Chester. 

Hire, let, lease. 

44. Boats to — ; twenty-five cents an hour. 

45. We will — our country-house during the winter. 

46. — us some fair chamber for the night. 

47. Bathing suits to — . 

Like, love. 

48. I — to go rowing. 

49. He — s to talk of the days before the war. 

50. All children — their mothers. 

51. She — s her blue gown. 

52. Don't you — strawberry short-cake ? 

53. A maid whom there were none to praise 

And very few to — . 

Materialize, appear. 

54. The representatives of the other colleges did not — . 

55. His hopes have not — ed. 

Stay, stop. 

56. The King of Denmark — s there during the summer. 

57. — a few moments longer. 

58. She is very kind to ask me to — overnight. 

59. I am very tired ; let us — here and rest. 

60. I've been — ing with my mother for a week. 

Transpire, happen, elapse. 

61. After a considerable time had — d, he returned to the office. 

62. Silas takes an interest in everything that — s. 

63. Presently it — d that Henry Roscoe was the obstinate jury- 
man. 

64. Many things have — d since the war was ended. 



OF VERBS 99 

III. ADDITIONAL MISUSED VERBS. 1 

Accept, except.— To accept means "to take something offered;" to 
except means "to make an exception of." 

Advertise, advise.— To advertise is "to announce to the public;" to 
advise is "to give counsel or information to a person." 

Affect, effect.— To affect is "to act upon," "to influence;" to effect 
is "to bring about." 

Alleviate, relieve.— To alleviate pain is "to lighten" it ; to relieve it 
is to go further, and " to remove it in a large measure or altogether." 

Allow, admit, think.— Allow properly means to "grant" or "per. 
mit," not to "admit," "think" or "intend." 

Allude to, refer to, mention.- We mention a thing when we name it 
directly. We refer to it when we speak of it less directly. We al- 
lude to it when we refer to it in a delicate or slight way. 

Argue, augur.— To argue is "to bring forward reasons;" to augur 
is " to foretell," "to forebode." 

Compare with, compare to, contrast.—" Two things are compared in 
order to note the points of resemblance and difference between them; 
they are contrasted in order to note the points of difference only. 
When one thing is compared to another, it is to show that the first is 
like the second ; when one thing is compared with another, it is to 
show either difference or similarity, especially difference." 2 

Construe, construct.— " To construe means 'to interpret,' 'to show 
the meaning ;' to construct means ' to build :' we may construe a sen- 
tence as in translation, or construct it as in composition." s 

Convince, convict.—" To convince is 'to satisfy the understanding;' 
to convict, 'to pronounce guilty.' 'The jury having been convinced 
of the prisoner's guilt, he was convicted.' " 3 

Detect, discriminate.— To detect is "to find out;" to discriminate is 
"to distinguish between." 

Disclose, discover.— To disclose is " to uncover," " to reveal;" to dis- 
cover is, in modern usage, "to find." 

Dominate, domineer.— Ttf dominate is "to rule ;" to domineer* is "to 
rule in an overbearing manner." 

Drive, ride.— We go driving in carriages, riding in saddles. We 
drive behind horses, we ride on them. 

1 " Foundations," p. 115. 2 The Century Dictionary. 

3 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 38. 



100 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Eliminate, elicit.—^ eliminate is "to remove," "to get rid of ;" to 
elicit is "to draw out." 

Estimate, esteem.— To estimate is " to judge the value of ;" to esteem 
is "to set a high value on," especially of persons. 

Expose, expound.— T<9 expose is "to lay bare to view ;" to expound is 
"to explain the meaning of." 

Frighten.— Frighten is a transitive verb, and is used correctly in 
"The locomotive frightened the horse;" "The horse was frightened 
by the locomotive;" "The horse became frightened." It should not 
be used intransitively, as in the sentence "The horse frightened at 
the locomotive." 

Inquire, investigate.— To inquire is "to ask for information ;" to in- 
vestigate is "to make a thorough examination." 

Insure, secure.— Secure, in the sense of " to guard from danger," "to 
make safe," is preferable to insure, since insure also means "to 
guarantee indemnity for future loss or damage." 

Let, leave.— Let means " to permit;" leave, "to let remain," or " to 
go away from." 

Locate, find.— Locate properly means ' ' to place in a particular posi- 
tion," or "to designate the site of," as of a new building or pur- 
chased lands ; it does not mean to find. 

Persuade, advise.- To persuade is "to induce," "to convince;" to 
advise is "to give counsel or information." 

Predicate, predict.— To predicate is "to affirm as an attribute or 
quality;" to predict is "to foretell." 

Prescribe, proscribe.— To prescribe is "to lay down as a rule or 
a remedy ;" to proscribe is "to condemn to death or to loss of 
rights." 

Purpose, propose.— " The verb purpose, in the sense of 'intend,' is 
preferable to propose, since to propose also means ' to offer for consid- 
eration :' the noun answering to the former is purpose ; to the latter, 
proposal or proposition." l 

Repulse, repel.— Repulse usually implies hostility ; repel is a milder 
term. We repulse an enemy or an assailant; we repel an officious 
person or the unwelcome advances of a lover. 

Start, begin, commence.— To start is "to set out " or " to set going," 
and is not followed by an infinitive. Before an infinitive, ' ' begin " 
or "commence" is used. "Begin is preferred in ordinary use; com- 

1 A. S. Hill: Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 



OF VERBS 101 

mence has more formal associations with law and procedure, combat, 
divine service, and ceremonial." l 

Suspect, expeet, anticipate.— To suspect is "to mistrust," "to sur- 
mise." Expect, in the sense of "look forward to," is preferable to 
anticipate, since anticipate also means "take up, perform, or realize 
beforehand ;" as, ' ' Some real lives do actually anticipate the happi- 
ness of heaven." 

EXERCISE LIX. 

Tell the difference in meaning between — 

1. I accept {except) him. 

2. Telegraphic communication was affected {effected). 

3. The medicine alleviated {relieved) her suffering. 

4. He alluded to {referred to, mentioned) the battle of Gettysburg. 

5. The first sentence was not well construed {constructed). 

6. IVtr. Fox was convinced {convicted). 

7. Blanche of Devon disclosed {discovered) the treachery of Mur- 
dock. 

8. We are going riding {driving) this afternoon. 

9. He rides {drives) well. 

10. I will inquire about {investigate) the business methods of the 
building association. 

11. The furniture has been secured {insured). 

12. Let {leave) me alone. 

13. He advised {persuaded) me to have my life insured. 

14. He purposed {proposed) to divide the class. 

15. Did you suspect {expect) us ? 

EXERCISE LX. 

Insert the proper woi*d in each blank, and give the reason for your 
cJwice:— 2 Aceept, exeept 

1. Let us — the terms which they propose. 

2. In saying that the Alexandrians have a bad character, I — a 
few persons. 

3. Why did you not — the gift ? 

4. He was — ed from the general condemnation. 

5. It gives me pleasure to — your invitation. 

1 Murray's Dictionary. 

2 In some of the sentences one verb or another is allowable, according to 
the meaning intended. 



102 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Advertise, advise. 

6. The procession was — d to start at half -past two o'clock. 

7. Under these circumstances we — total abstinence. 

8. The merchants were — d of the risk. 

9. When I return, I shall — you. 

Affect, effect. 

10. She was greatly — ed by the news. 

11. When a man is hardened in crime, no fear can — him. 

12. They sailed away without — ing their purpose. 

13. What he planned, he — ed. 

14. Bodily exercise indirectly — s all the organs of the body. 

15. The loud crash. — ed my hearing for a while. 

16. Severe cold will — peach-trees. 

17. The invention of the telephone was not — ed without great 

labor. 

Alleviate, relieve. 

18. Some fruits are excellent to — thirst. 

19. He gave me an opiate to — my pain. 

20. His charity went far to — the wants of the poor. 

21. My cares were — ed by his friendship. 

Allow, admit, think. 

22. He — (ed) it would rain to-day. 

23. He would not — her to come. 

24. I — she will come. 

25. He at last — s that I was right. 

Allude to, refer to, mention. 

26. A Latin inscription — ing (to) the name of the road is cut on 
the rock. 

27. The people of the country, — ing (to) the whiteness of its foam, 
call the cascade "Sour-milk Falls." 

28. I proceed to another affection of our nature which bears strong 
testimony to our being born for religion. I — (to) the emotion which 
leads us to revere what is higher than we. 

29. He — s (to) enterprises which he cannot reveal but with the 

hazard of his life. 

Argue, augur. 

30. It — s ill for an army when there are dissensions at headquarters. 

31. Not to know me — s yourself unknown. 

32. E'en though vanquished he could — still. 



OF VERBS 103 

Compare to, compare with, contrast. 

33. The generosity of one person is most strongly felt when — d 
to (with) the meanness of another. 

34. In Luke xv. the sinner is — d to (with) a sheep. 

35. Solon — d the people to (with) the sea, and orators to (with) 
the winds ; because the sea would be quiet if the winds did not 
trouble it. 

36. It appears no unjust simile to — the affairs of this great con- 
tinent to (with) the mechanism of a clock. 

37. Goethe — s translators to (with) carriers who convey good wine 
to market, though it gets unaccountably watered by the way. 

38. To — the goodness of God to (with) our rebellion will tend to 
make us humble and thankful. 

39. He who — s his own condition to (with) that of others will see 
that he has many reasons to consider himself fortunate. 

40. The treatment of the Indians by Penn may be — d to (with) 
the treatment of them by other colonists. 

41. Burke — s the parks of a city to (with) the lungs of the body. 

Construe, construct. 

42. We might — his words in a bad sense. 

43. How is this passage in Virgil to be — d ? 

44. That sentence is obscure ; it is not well — d. 

Convince, convict. 

45. The jury, having been — d of the prisoner's guilt, — d him. 

46. I hope you may succeed in — ing him of his error. 

Detect, discriminate. 

47. I cannot — the error in the account. 

48. The chemist — d the presence of arsenic in the coffee. 

Discover, disclose. 

49. Events have — d the designs of the government. 

50. We often — our mistakes when it is too late. 

Dominate, domineer. 

51. Three powers there are that — the world : Fraud, Force, and 
Right. 

52. No true gentleman — s his servants. 

Drive, ride. 

53. While Mrs. A. and her children were — ing in the park the 
horses ran away and overturned the carriage. 



104 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

54. Will you go — ing with me in my new pony-cart. 

55. While — ing in the park Mr. C. was thrown from his horse. 

Elicit, eliminate. 

56. Discussion is a good way to — truth. 

57. His bearing under the trying circumstances — d the approval 
of all high-minded men. 

58. It is the duty of a statesman to try to — the worst elements of 
society and to retain the best. 

59. Let us try to — the true facts from this mass of evidence. 

Estimate, esteem. 

60. I — him for his own sake. 

61. Men do not — highly the virtues of their enemies. 

62. The shell of the hawksbill turtle is much — d for making 
combs. 

63. At what amount do you — the cost of the journey. 

Expose, expound. 

64. Daniel Webster — d the Constitution of the United States. 

65. Daniel Webster — d the villany of the Knapps. 

66. The text was well — d in the sermon. 

67. It is the business of the police to — vice. 

Insure, secure. 

68. Will you — my factory against fire ? 

69. For woods before and hills behind 
— it both from rain and wind. 

70. The cargoes of ocean steamers are generally fully — d. 

71. The city is — d by strong fortifications. 

72. How are we to — to labor its due honor ? 

73. To enjoy the benefits which the liberty of the press — s, we 
must submit to the evils which it creates. 

Investigate, inquire. 

74. A committee was appointed to — the needs of the laboring 
classes. 

75. I will — his name and rank. 

76. Edison has been busy — ing the nature of electricity. 

77. A commission was appointed to — the causes of the strike. 

Let, leave. 

78. Please — me take you to town. 

79. We — that to the judgment of the umpire. 



OF VERBS 105 

80. Pharaoh said, "I will — you go." 

81. Why do you — your house go to ruin ? 

82. Peace I — with you. 

83. I will — you know my decision to-morrow. 

84. Please — me out at the corner of Twenty-third Street. 

85. — us free to act. 

86. —go! 

87. — the beggar in. 

88. — us — him to himself. 

89. He — the cat out of the bag. 

Loeate, find. 

90. The missing man has at last been — d by the police in Kan- 
sas City. 

91. The part of the city in which the mint is — d. 

Persuade, advise. 

92. Almost thou — st me to be a Christian. 

93. I — d him to take a walk every day, but I could not — him 
to do it. 

94. Columbus was — d to give up the thought of sailing west- 
ward in search of the Indies. 

95. When in mid-ocean, Columbus was — d to alter his course. 

Predicate, ppediet. 

96. This very result was — d two years ago. 

97. Ambition may be — d as the predominant trait in Napoleon's 
character. 

98. He — s that the month of July will be rainy. 

99. Disaster to the voyage was — d by the enemies of Columbus. 

Prescribe, proscribe. 

100. Sylla and Marius — d each other's adherents. 

101. The doctor — d quinine in doses of four grains each. 

102. It is easier to — principles of conduct than to follow them. 

103. The Puritans — d theatres. 

104. The number of electors is — d by law. 

Purpose, propose. 

105. I don't — to let you escape so easily. 

106. I — that we go boating. 

107. We — d to go to-morrow, but I fear the rain will prevent us. 
108 I — to work hard this year. 

5* 



106 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

109. Bassanio — d to pay the bond thrice over, but Shylock de- 
clined the offer, for he — d, if possible, to take Antonio's life. 

Repulse, repel. 

110. He gently — d their entreaties. 

111. The charge of Pickett's troops at Gettysburg was — d. 

Start, begin, eommenee. 

112. Rosalind tells Orlando to — his courtship, and he wishes to 

— with a kiss. 

113. The Spectator was — (d) by Steele. 

114. We have —(d) Homer's "Iliad." 

115. We have — (d) to find out our ignorance. 

116. We — to feel that perhaps Darcy is not very bad, after all. 

117. We — (d) in an omnibus at seven o'clock. 

118. She has —(d) to study French. 

119. Franklin's voyage was — (d) under unpleasant circumstances. 

120. It — (d) to rain in torrents. 

121. The play has —(d). 

122. Hostilities have —(d). 

123. The people of Philadelphia were so much pleased with 
Franklin's pavement that they — (d) paving all the streets. 

Suspect, expect, anticipate. 

124. I — that my grandfather was a wild lad. 

125. I — great pleasure from our association in this work. 

126. The burglars — that detectives are on their tracks, but they 

— to elude the officers by hiding in the country. 

127. I was determined to — their fury by first falling into a pas- 
sion myself. 

128. I — that my father will come on a late train to-night. 

129. I — that the rogue thinks himself safe from detection. 

130. The death of the general is hourly — ed. 

EXERCISE LXI. 

Tell why the italicized words in the following sentences are misused, 
and substitute for them better expressions: — 

1. The death of his son greatly effected him. 

2. The Prince of Wales does not propose to send a challenge to 
the owner of the yacht Puritan. 

3. He is learning me to ride a bicycle. 



OF VERBS 107 

4. I cannot predicate what may hereafter happen. 

5. Will you loan me your sled for this afternoon ? 

6. It is even stated on the best of authority that the Minneapolis 
is capable of attaining a speed of twenty-four knots an hour, and of 
keeping it up. 

7. Miss Duhe claims that the clairvoyant divulged many things 
that were known to her only. 

8. It is evident that whatever transpired during the interview 
was informal and private. 

9. There is little in the " Elegy "to locate the church-yard which 
is referred to. 

10. He says he cannot except the invitation. 

11. Is the Governor's wife stopping at the Springs Hotel? 

12. Dr. H.'s well-known views have led him to champion the cause 
of Dr. B. 

13. I do not propose to disrespect 1 the Sabbath. 

14. Macaulay says Voltaire gestured 1 like a monkey. 

15. I love to see kittens play. 

16. I expect he must have arrived last night. 

17. I calculate it will rain soon. 

18. This dry weather argues ill for the corn crop. 

19. Mrs. Dennett broke open the door, and found a startling state 
of affairs. In the hallway her daughter Grace was lying prostrate, 
and seemed to be in an unconscious state. She awoke her daughter, 
who, after she had regained her senses, related what had transpired. 

20. Elizabeth allowed that he had given a very rational account of it. 

21. He calculates to go to-morrow morning. 

22. The Abbe was beheaded, not hung. 

23. I am looking for a fault which I cannot exactly locate. 

24. James W. Reed, who mysteriously disappeared several weeks 
ago, has been located in England. 

25. I expect you feel tired after your long walk. 

26. The strike of the tailors, which it was claimed would transpire 
yesterday, failed to materialize. 

27. Do you allow to go to town to-day ? 

28. She tried to locate the places whence the sounds came. 

29. Floods in all directions. Middle and New England States en- 
joy their annual freshets. 2 

30. I had hard work to restrain 1 from taking some. 

1 Consult a dictionary. 2 Heading in a newspaper. 



108 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

EXERCISE LXII. 1 

Illustrate by original sentences the proper use of each of these verbs: — 
Allow, learn, leave, let, loan, locate, accede, accredit, credit, arise, 
rise, captivate, depreciate, deprecate, impugn, impute, like, love, an- 
tagonize, champion, calculate, bring, carry, fetch, claim, assert, allege, 
maintain, admit, confess, demand, hire, let, lease, materialize, plead, 
argue, state, stop, transpire, accept, except, advertise, advise, affect, 
effect, alleviate, relieve, augur, compare to, compare with, contrast, 
construe, construct, convince, convict, detect, discriminate, disclose, 
discover, dominate, domineer, drive, ride, eliminate, elicit, insure, se- 
cure, esteem, estimate, expose, expound, investigate, persuade, con- 
vince, predicate, predict, prescribe, proscribe, purpose, propose, re- 
pulse, start, suspect, expect, anticipate. 



1 See Note to Teacher, p. 151 



CHAPTER VI. 
OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 

An adjective is a word joined by way of description or 
limitation to a noun or a pronoun. 

An adverb is a word joined by way of limitation or em- 
phasis to a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. 

Vulgarisms. 1 — Every educated person is expected to 
know the correct use of the following words : — 

Good, wqIL— Good is an adjective ; the adverb corresponding to it 
is well. We say, "He had a good sleep;" "He slept well." Well is 
sometimes an adjective, as in " You look well" 

Likely, probably, like.— Likely is now used as an adjective only, ex- 
cept in the phrase "As likely as not;" the corresponding adverb is 
probably. We say, " He is likely to come ,-" " He will probably come." 
Like as an adjective means "similar," as, "Men of like excellence;" 
" He looks like his grandfather ;" "He was a man of like passions as 
we are." In the sense of "in the same manner as" like is followed 
by a noun or a pronoun in the objective case, and is called by some 
an adverb, by others a preposition: as, "He talks like her." 

Less, fewer, smaller.— Less refers to quantity, fewer to number, 
smaller to size. 

Most, almost.— Most denotes * ' the greatest number, quantity, or de- 
gree." It is always superlative and never means "nearly," which is 
the proper meaning of almost. We say, "Most of the boys are here; 
the time has almost come." 

Near, nearly.— Near is an adjective; the corresponding adverb is 
nearly. 

Plenty is now in good use as a noun only, as " Plenty of corn and 
wine." 2 Shakespeare used the word as an adjective in "Reasons 



1 « 



Foundations," pp. 118-120. 2 See page 32. 



110 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

as plenty as blackberries, " but this use is obsolete. The use of 
plenty as an adverb, as "The food is plenty good enough," is a vul- 
garism. 

Some, somewhat, something.— Some is an adjective, as, "Some wa- 
ter;" i( Some brighter clime." Somewhat is an adverb, as, "He is 
somewhat better." " Somewhat" is occasionally used as a noun, as, 
"Somewhat of doubt remains," but in this sense something is more 
common. 

This, these; that, those.— This (plural these) and that (plural those) 
are the only adjectives in English that have distinct forms for the 
plural. A common mistake is to use the plural forms with singular 
collective nouns, as "kind," "class," "sort." 

First, second, secondly, etc. — First is both adjective and adverb. 
Second, third, etc., are adjectives only; the corresponding adverbs 
are secondly, thirdly, etc. Firstly is a vulgarism. 

Emrywheres, illy, lesser, light-complected, muchly, nowhere near, un- 
beknown are not in reputable use. 

EXERCISE LXIII. 

Insert the proper word in each blank, and give the reason for your 

*<*»•— Good, well. 

1. George played — in the football game this afternoon ; he is a 
— runner. 

2. She embroiders very — . 

3. The draperies do not hang as — as I thought they would. 

4. Your coat fits you very — . 

5. He always behaves — . 

6. This pen will not write — . 

7. He did the work as — as I could expect. 

8. This is a — picture ; the artist paints — . 

9. Mr. A. is a — workman. See how — he has laid this hearth. 

10. George writes — . 

11. Charles does not look — to-day. 

12. He says he does not feel — . 

Likely, probably, like. 

13. It became evident that the duke was not — to have his own 
way in the assembly. 

14. There is a difference between what may possibly and what 
may — be done. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS HI 

15. Just as — as not you will meet him on the road. 

16. He is — to die of hunger. 

17. He will — die of hunger. 

18. It seems — that he will be elected. 

19. — he will be elected. 

20. Japan will — defeat China. 

21. If a man does not care for himself, it is not — that he will care 
much for others. 

22. They are as — as two peas. 

23. Tell me who is married, and who is — to be. 

24. This is a — story. 

25. As — as not you love her yourself. 

Less, fewer, smaller. 

26. A proper fraction is — than a unit, because it expresses — 
parts than a unit contains. 

v„27. I caught seven fish ; Carl caught a — number. 

28. Look for no — punishment than death. 

29. I saw not — than twenty beggars to-day. 

30. Rebellion is sometimes a — evil than endurance. 

31. Not — than twelve banks in New York failed to-day. 

32. We have — than a half a ton of coal left. 

33. People who live in the country have — things to talk about 
than city people. 

34. He received — good than he conferred. 

35. I have — books than you. 

36. There were — people there than I expected. 

Most, almost. 

37. I have — finished my lesson. 

38. You will find me in my office — any day. 

39. — men dread death. 

40. We come here — every summer. 

41. We have — done. 

42. This wheat is — too thick. 

43. Though I saw — everything else, I failed to see Hagenbeck's 
trained animals. 

44. — everybody has imperfect eyes. 

45. The old man's strength is — gone. 

46. — boys like play. 

47. It rains in some places — every day. 

48. — all flowers are beautiful. 



112 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Near, nearly. 

49. It isn't — finished yet. 

50. We are — the end of the lesson. 

51. I am — suffocated. 

52. We are not — through our work. 

53. He is not — so young as I. 

54. I will answer you as — as I can remember. 

55. We are — the end of the term ; our school-days are — over. 

56. Mr. Patterson came very — breaking the greatest record ever 
made in America. 

Some, somewhat, something. 

57. Thank you, I feel — better this morning. 

58. — attempted, — done, has earned a night's repose. 

59. He resembles his father — . 

60. She felt — encouraged by this (these) news. 

61. — evil beast hath devoured him. 

62. He knows — of Arabic. 

63. We came back — sooner than we intended. 

64. If a man thinketh himself to be — when he is nothing, he de- 
ceiveth himself. 

65. Dorothy looks — like her mother. 

66. Yes, I'm — frightened, I admit. 

67. It provoked me — . 

68. A widow, — old, and very poor. 

This, these ; that, those. 

69. You will always see — kind of man lounging in front of tav- 
erns. 

70. Take up — ashes. 

71. — pile of clothes is (are) to be carried to the laundry. 

72. — kind of tree is (are) common in Pennsylvania. 

73. — brass tongs cost three dollars. 

74. — class will be graduated in June. 

75. In New England there is not one country-house in fifty which 
has not its walls ornamented with half a score of poems of — sort. 

76. How do you like — style of shoe ? 

77. Do you like — sort of pen ? 

78. — sort of person is always entertaining. 

79. Look at — assortment of knives. 

80. Beware of — kind of dog. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS H3 

81. Problems of — sort are very easy to solve. 

82. Young ladies should let — sort of thing alone. 

First, second, secondly, etc. 

83. I shall — show why we should worship God, and — explain 
how we should worship him. 

84. Adam was formed — , then Eve. 

85. Let us consider — what the young ruler desired ; — , what he 
had ; — , what he lacked. 

SQ. My — proposition is that the measure is unnecessary ; my — , 
that it is unjust; my — , that it is unconstitutional. 

87. I will not lie; I will die — . 

88. I like the old English ballads because, — , they are very quaint ; 
— , they show the derivations of many of our words ; and, — , they 
show different steps which our language has taken in becoming 
what it is. 

Adjective or Adverb. 1 — Illiterate persons often forget 
that adjectives go with nouns and pronouns, but adverbs 
with verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Even cultivated per- 
sons are sometimes in doubt whether to use an adjective or 
an adverb after certain verbs, as " grow," " look," " sound," 
"smell," "taste." If the added word applies to the sub- 
ject of the verb, it should be an adjective ; if to the verb, 
it should be an adverb. We say " We feel warm" when 
we mean that we are warm ; we say " We feel warmly on 
this subject," when we mean that our feeling is warm. 
" As a rule, it is proper to use an adjective whenever some 
form of the verb 'to be' or 'to seem' may be substituted 
for the verb, an adverb when no such substitution can be 
made." 2 Thus, "He looked angry ; he spoke angrily." 
Sometimes we may use either adjective or adverb with no 
difference in meaning : as, " We were sitting quiet (quietly) 
round the fire." 

Regarding the form of adverbs, ill-taught pupils often 
suppose that all words ending in "-ly" are adverbs, and 

1 "Foundations," pp. 120-123. 2 Ibid., p. 121. 



114 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

that all adverbs end in "-ly." A glance at the italicized 
words in the following expressions will remove this delu- 
sion : " Come here;" " very pretty;' 7 " he then rose ;" " lay it 
lengthwise;" "he fell backward;''' 1 "run fast;" "now it is 
done;" "a friendly Indian;" "a buzzing ^y." Though no 
comprehensive rule can be given for the form of adverbs, 
which must be learned for the most part by observation, 
it may be helpful to know that most " adjectives of qual- 
ity," like gentle, true, take the suffix "-ly " to make a corre- 
sponding adverb ; and that the comparative and superla- 
tive degrees of adverbs ending in "-ly" usually prefix 
more and most. 

EXERCISE LXIV. 

Which of the italicized words is correct? — 

1. Write careful (carefully). 

2. His teacher spoke cold (coldly) to him after she found he had 
acted dishonorable (dishonorably). 

3. Speak slow (slowly) and distinct (distinctly). 

4. He behaved bad (badly). 

5. He is a remarkable (remarkably) good shot. 

6. They were in a terrible (terribly) dangerous position. 

7. I am only tolerable (tolerably) well, sir. 

8. He acted very different (differently) from his brother. 

9. It is discouraging to see how bad (badly) the affairs of our na- 
tion are sometimes managed. 

10. He writes plainer (more plainly) than he once did. 

11. You are exceeding (exceedingly) kind. 

12. He struggled manful (manfully) against the waves. 

13. You have been wrong (wrongly) informed. 

14. Sure (surely) he is a fine gentleman. 

15. She dresses suitable (suitably) to her station. 

16. That part of the work was managed easy (easily) enough. 

17. You behaved very proper (properly). 

18. I can read easier (more easily) than I can write. 

19. She knew her lesson perfect (perfectly) to-day. 

20. I live free (freely) from care. 

21. Lessons are easiest (most easily) learned in the morning. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS H5 

22. Walk as quiet {quietly) as you can. 

23. He acted independent {independently). 

24. He spoke quite decided {decidedly). 

25. We ought to value our privileges higher {more highly). 

26. He was ill {illy) equipped for the journey. 1 

27. Relative (relatively) lo its size, an ant is ten times stronger than 
a man. 

28. That will ill {illy) accord with my notions. 1 

29. He is an exceeding {exceedingly) good boy. 

30. One can scarce {scarcely) help smiling at the blindness of this 
critic. 

31. I had studied grammar previous {previously) to his instructing 
me, but to no purpose. 

EXERCISE LXV. 

Distinguish between — 

1. We found the way easy (easily). 

2. The prunes are boiling soft (softly). 

3. He appeared prompt (promptly). 

4. It looks good (well). 

5. We arrived safe (safely). 

EXERCISE LXVI. 

Which of the italicized words is preferable? Give the reason : — 

1. Velvet feels smooth {smoothly). 

2. Clouds sail slow {slowly) through the air. 

3. This carriage rides easy {easily). 

4. How sweet {sweetly) these roses smell ! 

5. They felt very bad {badly) at being beaten. 2 

6. Your piano sounds different {differently) from ours. 

7. The storm is raging furious {furiously). 

8. This milk tastes sour {sourly). 

9. The soldiers fought gallant {gallantly). 

10. She looked cold {coldly) on his offer of marriage. 

11. Ethel looks sweet {sweetly) in a white gown. 

12. How beautiful {beautifully) the stars appear to-night ! 

13. This coat goes on easy {easily). 

14. How beautiful (beautifully) Katharine looks this morning. 

1 See page 110. ? See " Foundations," p. 121. 



116 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

15. Luther stood firm {firmly) in spite of abuse. 

16. It looks strange {strangely) to see you here. 

17. Deal gentle {gently) with them. 

18. The cry sounded shrill {shrilly). 

19. Larks sing sweet {sweetly). 

20. He felt awkward {awkwardly) in the presence of ladies. 

21. He has acted strange {strangely). 

22. The water feels warm {warmly). 

23. We feel warm {warmly) on that subject. 

24. The dead warrior looked fierce {fiercely). 

25. The wind blows very cold {coldly) to-day. 

26. War clouds rolling dun {dunly). 

27. The shutters are painted green {greenly). 

28. She works good {well) and neat {neatly). 

29. Protestants believe that the bread of the Lord's supper is not 
real {really) changed, but remains real {really) bread. 

30. Homer says the blood of the gods is not real (really) blood, but 
only something like it. 

"31. Real {really) kings hide away their crowns in their wardrobes, 
and affect a plain and poor exterior. 

Alone, only. — " In the Bible and earlier English alone is 
often used for the adverb only, but it is now becoming re- 
stricted to its own sense of ' solitary,' ' unaccompanied by 
other persons or things ' ;" l as, " He rode all unarmed, and 
he rode all alone" Only is both adjective and adverb. 

EXERCISE LXVII. 

Fill each blank with the 'prober word {"only" "alone ") : — 

1. She — of all the family had courage to go — into that darkened 
room. 

2. These books are sold in sets — . 

3. Man cannot live on bread — . 

4. This fault — is enough to make her disagreeable. 

5. By chance — did he escape the gallows. 

6. Not — at Ephesus, but throughout all Asia, Paul persuaded 
many people. 

1 The Century Dictionary. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS H7 

7. To be successful a school paper must be supported, not — with 
subscriptions, but also with contributions. 

Omitted Adverbs, 1 — Adverbs necessary to the sense should 
not be omitted. This fault is especially common after so, 
too, and very — words which, as they express degree, prop- 
erly qualify adjectives or adverbs, and not verbs or parti- 
ciples ; also after behave, which, like the noun " behavior," 
requires a qualifying word to determine the meaning. 

EXERCISE LXVIII. 

Supply the omitted adverbs : — 

1. He was very struck by what she said. 

2. I wish you would behave. 

3. The king was very dissatisfied with his wife. 

4. I have too trusted to my own wild wants. 

5. If you cannot behave yourself, you had better stay at home. 

6. We are very pleased to see you. 

Redundant Adjectives and Adverbs. 2 — A word that is 
not needed is said to be " redundant." Redundant expres- 
sions should be carefully avoided. 

EXERCISE LXIX. 

Strike out tlie useless adjectives and adverbs: — 

1. From thence they marched twenty miles. 

2. Which do you prefer most, apples or oranges ? 

3. Whenever I meet him he always stops me. 

4. Celia wished to accompany Rosalind ; therefore they both set 
out together. 

5. The view from the top is simply beautiful, 

6. Finally Rosalind disclosed her true identity. 

7. The exercises are appointed for 2 p.m. to-morrow afternoon. 

8. There are numerous mountain streams all throughout this 
region which abound in brook trout. 

9. The central pith of the report is as follows. 

10. Secluded and alone, he now partook of his solitary repast, 
which he entirely consumed. 



i « 



Foundations,' 7 p. 128. 2 Ibid., pp. 123-125. 



118 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

11. Out of the second term I took out the factor x. 

12. Right in behind East Rock we have a beautiful lake. 

13. When everything was all ready they started off. 

14. He was a boy of eighteen years old. 

15. If the ground is uneven they just level it off with a shovel. 

16. Once the two twins were shipwrecked while on a sailing voy- 
age. 

17. The purple bird was once a royal king named Picus. 

18. A large search-light will show a sail at a distance of three or 
four miles away. 

19. Each of the provinces was ruled over by a duke. 

20. When he returned he entered into the printing business. 

21. He had a good chance to shift off the sky to the shoulders of 
Hercules. 

22. The mud falls off from the wheels and makes the street dirty. 

23. An old merchant of Syracuse, named iEgeon, had two twin 
sons. 

24. He was almost universally admired and respected by all who 
knew him. 

25. Pretty soon the man's hands began to get all blistered. 

26. Before you go you must first finish your work. 

27. He did it equally as well as his friends. 

28. It must be ten years ago since he left town. 

29. Collect together all the fragments. 

30. The play opens up with a scene in a forest. 

31. He has the universal good- will of everybody. 

32. Please raise up the window. 

33. The story ends up happily. 

34. They always entered school together every morning. 

35. Out of the entire pack only two dogs remained. 

36. He went away, but soon reappeared again. 

37. A monstrous large snake crawled out from under the identical 
stone on which you are this very minute sitting. 

38. I was deceived by false misrepresentations. 

39. This question opened up the whole subject. 

40. Let us, however, endeavor to trace up some of this hearsay evi- 
dence as far towards its source as we are able. 

41. I will see you later on. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS H9 

Misused Adjectives and Adverbs. 1 — See the remarks 
under "Misused Nouns." An amusing illustration of mis- 
used adjectives was furnished by an illiterate man who 
introduced his second wife to a friend as " My late wife." 

i. 

Aggravating, irritating.— In good use aggravating means "making 
heavier, more grave, worse in some way." It is often misused for 
irritating, exasperating, or provoking. 

All, the whole.— See page 120. 

Apt, likely, liable. — Apt implies a natural predisposition, an ha- 
bitual tendency. "Likely implies a probability of whatever charac- 
ter; liable, an unpleasant probability." 2 One is apt to speak quick- 
ly f likely to hear good news, liable to be hurt. 

Both, each, every.— Both, meaning "the two, and not merely one 
of them," groups objects, as, "Both were men of hot temper." 
Each means "all of any number, considered one by one," as, " Each 
boy recited in his turn." Every means "all of any number, consid- 
ered as composing a group or class," as, "Every pupil should have 
a dictionary and use it freely." "Every directs attention chiefly to 
the totality, each chiefly to the individuals composing it. It may 
also be observed that each usually refers to a numerically definite 
group. . . . Thus, 'Each theory is open to objection' relates to an 
understood enumeration of theories, but 'Every theory is open to 
objection' refers to all theories that may exist." 3 

Many, much.— Many refers to number, much to quantity. 

Mutual, common.— Mutual properly means "reciprocal," "inter- 
changed." It is often misused for common in the sense of "belong- 
ing equally to both or all," especially in the phrase, "A mutual 
friend." 

Partly, partially.— "Partly, in the sense of 'in part,' is preferable 
to partially, since partially also means ' with partiality.' " 4 

Quite, very.— Quite properly means "entirely"; in the sense of 
' ' very "or " to a considerable degree " it is not in good use. 

So-as, as-as.— Both so and as are used as adverbs of degree correla- 
tive with the conjunction "as": unless there is a negative in the 

1 "Foundations," p. 125. 2 Ibid., p. 128. 3 Murray's Dictionary. 
4 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 



120 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

clause as is generally used ; with a negative so is preferable to as. 
We say " It is as cold as ice," " It is not so good as it looks/' 

EXERCISE LXX. 

Tell the difference in meaning between — 

1. The circumstances of the offense are aggravating (exasperat- 
ing). 

2. She gave an orange to both (each) of them. 

3. Each (every) man has his faults. 

4. I had a call from both (each) of the boys. 

5. He is apt (likely) to win the race. 

6. A mutual (common) friendship. 

7. The weekly reports are partially (partly) made out. 

EXERCISE LXXI. 

Insert the proper word in each blank : — 

Aggravating, irritating. 

1. Some of his remarks were — . 

2. The prisoner said his wile's conduct had been very — . 

3. He has an — manner. 

4. He was too — by half. 

5. The murder was committed under — circumstances. 

All, the whole. 

6. — (of) the boys were sent off at a day's notice to their homes. 

[For additional exercises, see page 125]. 

Apt, likely, liable. 

7. An industrious man is — to succeed. 

8. The ship was — to founder at any moment. 

9. Bad books are — to corrupt the reader. 

10. If a man does not care for himself, he is not — to care much 
for other people. 

11. Youth is — to err. 

12. Any kind of taxation is — to be looked on as a grievance. 

13. We are constantly — to accidents. 

14. Men are — to think well of themselves, their nation, their 
courage, and their strength. 

Both, each, every. 

15. — of them has (have) taken a different course. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 121 

16. — went bis way. 

17. He told me to invite — brother and sister. 

18. He gave his hand to — of them. 

19. In — cheek (cheeks) appears a pretty dimple. 

20. I am feeling better in — way. 

21. The oak and the elm have — a distinct character. 

22. He'll be banged yet, though — drop of water swear against it. 

23. — soldier has a musket, and — one fires as fast as he can. 

24. — inhabitant, male or female, young or old, was there. 

25. In — ten women that the gods make, tbe devils mar five. 

26. There is a row of beautiful elm-trees on — side(s) of the road. 

Many, much. 

27. We saw as — as twenty tramps. 

28. He blames his uncle for — of his misfortune. 

29. I found that — of the accidents on this railroad are caused by 
negligence. 

30. How — of your peacbes have you sold ? 

Mutual, common. 

31. Charles and his wife were happy in their — love. 

32. Tbey parted with — good feeling. 

33. We have a — friend in Mr. Phelps. 

34. I find, Miss Vernon, that we have some — friends. 

Partly, partially. 

35. Beware of acting — . 

36. All men are — buried in the grave of custom. 

37. This is — true. 

38. The city of York is — surrounded by a wall. 

Quite, very. 

39. The country is — open. 

40. The snow has — covered the ground. 

41. Books — worthless are — harmless. 

42. The island is — close to the mainland. 

43. He w T as — dead when they found him. 

44. You are — mistaken. 

45. He is — ill. 

So-as, as-as. 

46. She is — amiable as she is beautiful. 

. 47. He is — tall as bis brother, but not — tall as I. 
48. You have never — much as answered my letter. 
6 



122 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

49. Come — quickly as you can. 

50. No other country suffered — much as England. 

ii. 

Apparently, evidently, manifestly.— li Apparently is properly used of 
that which seems, but may not be, real ; evidently, of that which both 
seems and is real." 1 Manifestly is stronger than evidently. 

Average, ordinary— Average implies an arithmetical computation ; 
if four persons lose respectively $10, $20, $30, and $40, the average 
loss is $25. The word is used figuratively by Dr. O. W. Holmes in 
"The average intellect of five hundred persons, taken as they come, 
is not very high.." In the sense of "usual," "common in occur- 
rence," "of the usual standard," ordinary is preferable to average. 

Bound, determined.— Bound properly means "obliged," "fated," 
or "under necessity": as, "A man is bound by his word;" "We 
hold ourselves in gratitude bound to receive ... all such persons." 
In the sense of "determined" bound is not in good use. In the 
sense of "sure" it is in colloquial, but not in literary, use. 

Continual, continuous.—" Continual is used of frequently repeated 
acts, as, 'Continual dropping wears away a stone;' continuous, of 
uninterrupted action, as, ' the continuous flowing of a river. ' " 2 

Deadly, deathly.— " Deathly, in the sense of 'resembling death,' as, 
'She was deathly pale,' is preferable to deadly, since deadly also 
means ' inflicting death.' " 3 

Deeided, decisive.— " A decided opinion is a strong opinion, which 
perhaps decides nothing; a decisive opinion settles the question at 
issue. A lawyer may have decided views on a case; the judgment 
of a court is decisive" 2 

Dumb, stupid.— Dumb properly means "mute," "silent." Its mis- 
use for stupid is partly due, especially in Pennsylvania, to its resem- 
blance to the German dumm. 

Existing, extant.— That is extant which has escaped the ravages of 
time (used chiefly of books, manuscripts, etc.); that is existing which 
has existence. 

Funny, odd.— Funny means "comical;" in the sense of "strange" 
or " odd " it is not in good use. 

Healthy, healthful, wholesome.— That is healthy which is in good 

1 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 39. 

2 Ibid., p. 38. 3 Ibid., p. 18. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 123 

health ; that is healthful or icholesome which produces health. Whole- 
some cornmoDly applies to food. 

Human, humane.— Human denotes what pertains to man as man ; 
as, "human nature," "human sacrifices." Humane means 'com- 
passionate." 

Latest, last.— Latest, like the word "late," contains a distinct refer- 
ence to time ; that is latest which comes after all others in time : as, 
" The latest news ;" "The latest fashion." Last, which was original- 
ly a contraction of "latest," is now used without any distinct refer- 
ence to time, and denotes that which comes after all others in space 
or in a series : as, " The last house on the street ;" "The Last of the 
Mohicans. " 

Lengthy, long.— Lengthy is said to have originated in the United 
States, but the earliest quotations found are from British authors. 
In the introduction to the second series of The Biglow Papers, Mr. 
Lowell wrote : " We have given back to England the excellent ad- 
jective lengthy . . . thus enabling their journalists to characterize 
our President's messages by a word civilly compromising between 
long and tedious, so as not to endanger the peace of the two coun- 
tries by wounding our national sensitiveness to British criticism." 
Lengthy is used chiefly of discourses or writings, and implies tedious- 
ness. Long is used of anything that has length. 

Mad, angry.— Mad means " insane;" in the sense of "angry" it is 
not in good use. 

New, novel.— That is neio which is not old ; that is novel which is 
both new and strange. 

Oral, verbal.— " Oral, in the sense of 'in spoken words/ is prefer- 
able to verbal, since verbal means ' in words ' whether spoken or writ- 
ten." 1 

Pitiable, pitiful.— " Pitiable, in the sense of 'deserving pity,' is pref- 
erable to pitiful, since pitiful also means 'compassionate,' as, 'The 
Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. ' " 1 

Practicable, practical.— That is practicable which can be done ; that 
is practical which is not theoretical only: as, "a practicable plan," 
" a practical electrician." 

Prominent, eminent.— Prominent means "conspicuous." "standing 
out so as to be easily seen;" eminent means "distinguished in char- 
acter or rank." • 

1 A. S. Hill : Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19. 



124 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Real, really, very.— Real is properly an adjective, meaning "not im- 
aginary or counterfeit/' as, "real diamonds." Its misuse for the 
adverbs really and very, as, ''This is real pretty," is a vulgarism. 

Seared, afraid.— The participle scared means " frightened ;" afraid 
is an adjective meaning "in fear." Before "of," the proper word 
is afraid: as, " She is afraid of horses." Scared of is not in good 
use. 

Grand, gorgeous, awful, splendid, elegant, lovely, magnificent.— 
Grand properly implies "grandeur;" gorgeous, "splendid colors;" 
awful, "awe;" elegant, " elegance ;" splendid, "splendor;" lovely, 
" surpassing loveliness ;" magnificent, "magnificence." 

"We talk, sometimes, with people whose conversation would lead 
you to suppose that they had lived in a museum, where all the ob- 
jects were monsters and extremes. . . . They use the superlative of 
grammar: 'most perfect,' 'most exquisite/ 'most horrible/ Like 
the French, they are enchanted, they are desolate, because you have 
got or have not got a shoestring or a wafer you happen to want — not 
perceiving that superlatives are diminutives and weaken. . . . All 
this comes of poverty. We are unskilful definers. From want of 
skill to convey quality, we hope to move admiration by quantity. 
Language should aim to describe the fact. . . . Tis very wearisome, 
this straining talk, these experiences all exquisite, intense, and tre- 
mendous." l 

EXERCISE LXXIL 

Tell the difference in meaning between — 

1. The average (ordinary) yield of wheat. 

2. He is bound (determined) to come. 

3. There was continual (continuous) fighting for three days. 

4. It was deadly (deathly) cold in the cave. 

5. A decided (decisive) victory. 

6. The boy is dumb (stupid). 

7. His story is apparently (evidently, manifestly) true. 

8. The existing (extant) portraits of Milton. 

9. His actions were very funny (odd). 

10. This is a healthy (wholesome) plant. 

11. A human (humane) being. 

12. His latest (last) attempt. 

13. Long (lengthy) explanations* 

1 R. W. Emerson : The Superlative. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 125 

14. She became mad (angry). 

15. A new (novel) style. 

16. An oral (verbal) message. 

17. A pitiable (pitiful) man. 

18. Your purpose seems practical (practicable). 

19. A prominent (an eminent) man. 

20. He was really (very) glad to see us. 

EXERCISE LXXIII. 

Insert the proper word in each blank : — 

Apparently, evidently, manifestly. 

1. The motion which — belongs to the sun, really belongs to the 
earth. 

2. The stranger was — in the prime of manhood. 

3. The apparent (evident) discrepancy between the two narratives 
is not real. 

4. Our country is — growing in wealth. 

5. A straight line is — the shortest distance between two points. 

Average, ordinary. 

6. To be excited is not the — state of the mind. 

7. This picture has only — merit 

8. — conversation is not instructive. 

9. The — American is not wealthy. 

10. The — expenses per man of the Yale class of '95 during Fresh- 
man year were $912. 

11. The life of the — man is safer and more comfortable than it 
was a century ago. 

12. The — age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence 
was nearly forty four. 

13. Their — duties were easy. 

Bound, determined. 

14. He worked hard at his piece, for he was — to speak it well. 

15. We have promised, therefore we are — to go. 

16. I am — to win, if I can. 

17. They were — that they would see the end of the play, even 
though they should miss their train. 

Continual, Continuous. 

18. He was exposed to — interruptions. 

19. A — line in space. 



126 PKACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

20. — victory makes leaders insolent. 

21. A — siege of six months. 

22. The power of abstract study or of — thought is rare. 

Deadly, deathly. 

23. A — stillness. 

24. The — bite of the rattlesnake. 

25. My wound is — . 

26. Her hands were — cold. 

27. She, poor thing, was looking — pale. 

28. Many savages have seen a musket kill small animals and yet 
have not known how — an instrument it is. 

Deeided, decisive. 

29. He felt a — aversion to company. 

30. Smith spoke out boldly in a — tone. 

31. Creasy's "Fifteen — Battles of the World." 

32. The nature of lightning was not known until Franklin made 
his -experiment. Dumb, stupid. 

33. A man who cannot write with wit on a proper subject is 
dull and — . 

34. A deaf and — person. 

35. I was struck — with astonishment. 

36. Judging from his recitations, I should say that John is either 
lazy or — . Extant, existing. 

37. God created all — things. 

38. Only two authentic portraits of Shakespeare are — . 

39. There are — seven hundred and sixty-five of Cicero's letters. 

40. Every citizen should exert himself to remove — evils. 

Funny, odd. 

41. It is — he never told me of his marriage. 

42. He made the boys laugh by drawing — pictures on his slate. 

43. You must have thought it — we didn't send for you. 

44. He amused us with — stories. 

Healthy, healthful, wholesome. 

45. Tomatoes are said to be a very — food. 

46. If a — body contributes to the health of the mind, so also a — 
mind keeps the body well. 

47. Gardening is a — recreation for a man of study or business. 

48. — food in a — climate makes a — man. 

49. A — situation. A — constitution. — diet. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 127 

Human, humane. 

50. A — disposition is not cruel. 

51. To err is — ; to forgive, divine. 

52. In the time of Abraham — sacrifices were common among his 
heathen neighbors. 

53. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a — 

organization. 

Latest, last. 

54. The — men in the procession. 

55. The — news. 

56. The — of the Incas. 

57. Have you read the — novel ? 

58. The — foot-ball game of the season will be played with the 

Yale Freshmen. 

Lengthy, long. 

59. Cotton Mather wrote many — dissertations. 

60. It is a — ride from Ellen's Isle to Stirling. 

61. A — line of ancestors. 

62. We were wearied by his — explanations. 

Mad, angry. 

63. His sarcastic manner makes me — . 

64. That is nothing to get — at. 

65. I have heard my grandsire say full oft, 
Extremity of griefs would make men — . 

New, novel. 
68. We have a — horse. 

67. A — feature of the entertainment was the "Broom Drill." 

68. At the World's Fair we saw many — sights, especially in the 
Midway Plaisance. 

69. Alice had many — experiences in Wonder Land. 

Oral, verbal. 

70. Some slight — changes have been made in the new edition of 
this book. 

71. Were your instructions — or written. 

Pitiable, pitiful. 

72. The condition of the poor in our great cities is — . 

73. Be gentle unto griefs and needs, 
Be — as woman should. 

74. The wretched girl was in a — plight. 

75. A — sight. 



128 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Practicable, practical. 

76. We have hired a — gardener. 

77. This plan of campaign is not — . 

78. We found the road not — because of the heavy rains. 

79. A victory may be a — defeat. 

Prominent, eminent. 

80. Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being — . 

81. The figure of a man is — in the picture. 

82. Frogs have — eyes. 

83. Washington was a (an) — man. 

84. John Quincy Adams was the — son of a (an) — father. 

Real, really, very. 

85. She came home looking — well after her long visit. 

86. Protestants believe that the bread of the Lord's supper is not 
— changed, but remains — bread. 

87. Homer tells us that the blood of the gods is not — blood, but 
only something like it. 

88. I am — glad you have come. 

89. He is — dead. 

90. It was — kind in you to send me flowers. 

91. Yes, I am — old ; I am sixty. 

92. He speaks — well, doesn't he ? 

93. — kings hide away their crowns in their wardrobes, and 
affect a plain and poor exterior. 

94. This is — pretty. 

95. We came on a — fast train. 

96. She seemed — glad to see us. 

97. The hotel is situated — near the sea. 

Scared, afraid. 

98. She was badly — when her horse ran away. 

99. Harry is — of tramps. 

100. Helen was — of the cows in the meadow. 

EXERCISE LXXIV. 1 

Illustrate by original sentences the correct use of each of these words : 
— Both, each, every, aggravating, liable, likely, apt, mutual, partial- 
ly, quite, average, bound, continual, continuous, deadly, deathly, de- 
cided, decisive, dumb, apparently, evidently, extant, funny, healthy, 

1 See note To the Teacher, p. 42. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 129 

healthful, wholesome, human, humane, latest, last, lengthy, mad, 
novel, verbal, pitiable, pitiful, practicable, practical, prominent, emi- 
nent, real, really, scared, grand, gorgeous, awful, splendid, elegant, 
lovely, magnificent. 

Use of the Comparative and Superlative, — The compara- 
tive degree is preferable when two things or sets of things 
are compared, the superlative when three or more are com- 
pared. 

To say " Iron is more useful than any metal " is clearly 
incorrect, because iron is included in "any metal," and of 
course iron is not more useful than itself. We must in 
thought set iron off in a class by itself, which we can do 
by inserting "other" after "any." "Iron is more useful 
than any other metal " is correct. After comparatives ac- 
companied by "than," the words "any" and "all" should 
be followed by "other." 

To say " Iron is the most useful of any (or, any other) 
metal" is also clearly incorrect, because we mean that 
iron is the most useful, not of "one metal (no matter 
which) " or of "some metals (no matter which)," but of all 
metals. We should therefore omit the word "any," say- 
ing simply "Iron is the most useful of (all) metals." It 
is also incorrect to say "Iron is the most useful of all 
other metals," for iron is not one of the "other metals." 
Beware of using "any " or "other" with superlatives fol- 
lowed by " of." 

EXERCISE LXXV. 

Which of the italicized forms is preferable? — 

1. Of London and Paris, London is tbe wealthier (wealthiest). 

2. Of two evils, choose the less (least). 

3. The older (oldest) of the three boys was sent to college. 

4. Which can run the faster (fastest), your horse or mine ? 

5. Of the two Latin poets, Virgil and Horace, the first (former) is 
the better (best) known. 

6* 



130 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

6. Which is the better (best) of the two ? 

7. Which is the farther (farthest) east, Boston, New York, or 
Philadelphia ? 

8. There is no doubt about Mm (his) being the better (best) in the 
little group of friends. 

9. Which is the larger (largest) number, the minuend or the sub- 
trahend ? 

EXERCISE LXXVI. 

Explain and correct the errors in the following sentences: — 

1. This picture is, of all others, the one I like best. 

2. This engraving of mine I like better than any picture I have. 

3. London is more crowded than any city in Great Britain. 

4. London is the most crowded of any city in Great Britain. 

5. She of all other girls ought to be the last to complain. 

6. Our grammar lessons are the hardest of any we have. 

7. St. Peter's is larger than any church in the world. 

8. St. Peter's is the largest of any church in the world. 

9. Noah and his family outlived all the people who lived before 
the flood. 

10. Solomon was wiser than all men. 

11. This State exports more cotton than all the states. 

12. A cowboy is the most picturesque of any men. 

13. Tabby has the worst temper of any cat I know. 

14. He thinks Gettysburg has the prettiest girls of any town of its 
size. 

15. The proposed methods of Mr. F. G. Jackson, the English arctic 
explorer, appears to be the most practical and business-like of any 
yet undertaken for exploring the polar regions. 

EXERCISE LXXVII. 

Construct sentences comparing the following things, using first a com- 
parative, then a superlative form : — 

1. The large population of China ; the smaller populations of other 
countries. 

Example. — China has a larger population than any other country. Of all 
countries, China has the largest population in the world. 

2. John, who is very mischievous ; other boys, who are less mis- 
chievous. 






OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 131 

3. Eve, who was exceedingly fair ; her daughters (female descend- 
ants), who are less fair. 

4. Smith, the best athlete ; the other boys in the school. 

5. Mary's recitations ; the poorer recitations of her classmates. 

6. The population of London ; the population of the other cities 
in the world. 

7. The circulation of the " Star ;" the smaller circulation of other 
newspapers in the county. 

8. Ethel's eyes ; the eyes of her playmates, which are not so 
bright. 

9. The examination papers of Professor A. ; the easier papers set 
by other teachers. 

10. Philip ; his classmates, who are less bright. 

11. Solomon, the wisest king; other kings. 

12. Samson, the strongest man ; other men. 

13. Jacob's love for Joseph ; his love for his other children. 

14. Youth ; the other periods of life, which are less important. 

15. Demosthenes ; the other and inferior orators of Greece. 

16. The books read by Fannie ; the fewer books read by her class- 
mates. 

17. This shady grove ; other groves I know, which are less shady. 

18. The reign of Louis XIV. ; the shorter reigns of other French 
kings. 

19. Shakespeare ; other English poets, all of whom are inferior to 
him. 

20. The Falls of Niagara ; other falls in the United States. 

Adjectives and Adverbs incapable of Comparison. 1 — 

Some adjectives and adverbs have meanings which do not 
vary in degree : as, dead, perfect, wooden. Such adjectives 
cannot properly be compared or modified by the words 
"more," "most," "so," "too," and "very." 

EXERCISE LXXVIII. 

Which of the following adjectives and adverbs do not vary in de- 
gree f — 

Absolutely, brave, cloudless, cold, conclusively, continually, en- 
tirely, essentially, extreme, faultless, French, fundamental, golden, 

1 " Foundations," p. 135. 



132 PKACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

happy, impregnable, inaudible, incessant, incredible, indispensable, 
insatiate, inseparable, intangible, intolerable, invariable, long, mas- 
terly, round, sharp, square, sufficient, unanimous, unbearable, un- 
bounded, unerring, unique, universally, unparalleled, unprecedented. 

Misplaced Adjectives and Adverbs. 1 — A word, a phrase, 
or a clause used as an adjective or an adverb should come 
next to the word, or words, which it modifies. 

The word only requires special care. Observe how the 
position of only affects the meaning in the following sen- 
tences: "Only he lost his hat;" "He only lost his hat;" 
" He lost only his hat," or " He lost his hat only ;" " He 
lost his only hat." 

EXERCISE LXXIX. 

Correct the errors of position in the following sentences:— 

1. Metal reflectors are only used now for cheap search -lights. 

2. I will only mention some of the best. 

3. I only had time to read "King Lear." 

4. He only spoke to me, not to you. 

5. Coons are only killed with the help of dogs. The coon only 
comes out in the night-time. 

6. Lost, a Scotch terrier, by a gentleman, with his ears cut close. 

7. Canteens were issued to the soldiers with short necks. 

8. We all went to the sea-shore for a little fresh air from the city. 

9. At one time Franklin was seen bringing some paper to his 
printing-office from the place where he had purchased it in a wheel- 
barrow. 

10. He went to Germany to patronize the people in the little Ger- 
man villages from which he came with his great wealth. 

11. The three young men set out and finally arrived at the college 
dressed in girls' clothes. 

12. The maskers were nearly dressed alike. 

13. Erected to the memory of John Smith accidentally shot as a 
mark of affection by his brother. 

14. Lost, an umbrella by a gentleman with an ivory head. 

15. A piano for sale by a lady about to cross the channel in an oak 
case with carved legs. 

1 " Foundations," p. 136. 



OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 133 

16. He blew out his brains after bidding his wife good-bye with a 
gun. 

17. The Moor, seizing a bolster, full of rage and jealousy, smoth- 
ered Desdemona. 

18. Wanted, a handsome Shetland pony suitable for a child with 
a long mane and tail. 

19. Wolsey left many buildings which he had begun at his death 
in an unfinished state. 

20. My cousin caught a crab and took it home in a pail of water 
which we had for our tea. 

21. I scarcely ever remember to have had a rougher walk. 

Adverbs between To and The Infinitive. — "A careful 
writer will do well to avoid the construction which places 
the adverb between to and the infinitive. It is true that 
the construction is a common one ; but it is also true that 
those who are most addicted to the practice are not those 
who count most as authorities on questions of good usage." ' 

EXERCISE LXXX. 

Improve the arrangement in the following sentences ; — 

1. Hermes caused the milk pitcher of the old couple to never be 
empty. 

2. His political enemies tried to in this way impeach the courage 
of the President. 

3. He promises to earnestly try to do better. 

4. To really know the man we must read his books. 

5. Another project is to in some way modify the power of the 
House of Lords. 

6. She dwelt upon what was comforting, though conscious that 
there was little to veritably console. 

7. He proposed to either largely decrease the appropriation or to 
wholly do away with it. 

1 "Foundations," p. 140. 



CHAPTER VII. 
OF PREPOSITIONS 

Misused Prepositions. 1 — A writer, in choosing the proper 
preposition to express his meaning, must rely chiefly on his 
sense of idiom, that is, his knowledge of English usage, 
but he may find the following notes helpful. 

Among, between.— "Among is the proper word when the reference 
is to more than two persons or things, or groups of persons or things; 
between, when the reference is to two only." 2 

At, in.— Before names of places to denote "where," at is used when 
the place is so small as to be treated as a mere point, or when, al- 
though large, it is viewed as a mere point ; in is used when it is de- 
sired to make prominent the idea "within the bounds of:" as, "He 
arrived at Liverpool in the morning and remained in that city two 
days." Before the name of the place in which the speaker dwells, 
if the place is of any size, in is generally preferred to at, unless the 
place is so remote that it dwindles in the mental vision to a point. 

Back of.— Back of, though frequently heard in conversation and 
sometimes seen in print, is not in good use, 

Beside, besides.— Beside means "by the side of;" besides is now used 
only in the sense of "in addition to," "other than:" as, "Who sits 
beside you ?" "Who besides us knows this ?" 

By, with.— To introduce the agent of an action by is now commonly 
used; the material instrument or tool is usually introduced by with: 
as, "Duncan was murdered by Macbeth with a dagger." 

Different from, different to.— Different from is preferable to differ- 
ent to and different than. 

In, into.— "In implies presence inside of, or within; into implies 
movement to the inside of. Before a man can move in a room, he 
must already have moved into it." 3 

1 " Foundations," pp. 142-148. 2 Ibid., p. 143. 3 Ibid., p. 145. 



OF PKEPOSITIONS 135 

In, on.— Before names of streets, in implies some reference to sur- 
roundings; on is less definite, indicating location only. 
On to, onto.—" Good use does not support either on to or onto." l 
Wait for, wait on.— To wait for means "to await," as, "We will 
wait for you at the corner." To wait on means "to attend on," as, 
"At dinner the women waited on the men." 

EXERCISE LXXXI. 

Insert the proper preposition in each blank : — 

Among, between. 

1. He divided the apples — the five boys. 

2. There was a generous rivalry — the two friends. 

3. I have no preference — many of Tennyson's poems. 
— 4. There is bad feeling — China and Japan. 

5. The money was divided — the six heirs. 

At, in. 

6. Napoleon died — Longwood, a villa on the island of St. Hele- 
na ; Byron died — Missolonghi, — Greece. 

7. Did he graduate — Oxford or — Cambridge ? 

8. He is now — Ireland. 

9. Milton was educated — Christ's College. 

10. When shall we arrive — Rome ? 

11. I am eager to visit a hundred places — Florence. 

12. We live — New York. 

13. Macaulay lived — London. 

Beside, besides. 

14. Have you nothing to tell us — what we have already heard ? 

15. The boy stood — her. 

16. — the large planets, there are hundreds of smaller planets 
called "asteroids." 

17. Let me sit — you. 

By, with. 

18. The door was fastened — nails — the carpenter. 

19. The Great Charter was signed — King John. 

20. Thebes was founded — Cadmus. 

21. Truth finds an easy entrance into the mind when she is intro- 
duced — Desire and attended — Pleasure. 

22. He entertained us — a story. 

23. He struck me — his cane. 

1 "Foundations," p. 146. 



136 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 



In, into, 

24. The dog is — the water. 

25. Come — the house. 

26. Look — my desk. 

27. Put more life — your speaking. 

28. Throw it — the fire. 

29. What put this idea — your head ? 

30. Carry the basket — the kitchen. 

31. She threw herself — a chair. 

In, on. 

32. The cable cars — Broadway. 

33. Ellen and Harry are playing — the street. 

34. The Murray Hill Hotel is — Fourth Avenue. 

35. They carry on their business — William Street. 

" With certain words good use requires special preposi- 
tions. Among these words are the following: : — 



abhorrence of. 
absolve from, 
accord with, 
acquit of. 
adapted to or for. 
affinity between, to, or with, 
agree with (a person), 
agree to (a proposal), 
averse from or to. 
bestow upon, 
change for (a thing), 
change with (a person), 
comply with, 
confer on (= give to), 
confer with (=talk with), 
confide in (= trust in), 
confide to (= intrust to), 
conform to. 

in conformity with or to. 
convenient for or to. 
conversant with. 



correspond to or with (a thing), 
correspond with (a person), 
dependent on (but independent 

of), 
derogatory to. 

differ from (a person or thing), 
differ from or with (in opinion), 
disappointed of (what we cannot 

get), 
disappointed in (what we have), 
dissent from, 
glad at or of. 
involve in. 
martyr for or to. 
need of. 

part from or with, 
profit by. 

reconcile to or with. 
taste of (food), 
taste for (art), 
thirst for or after." 1 



1 " Foundations," p. 148. 



OF PREPOSITIONS 137 

EXERCISE LXXXII. 

i. Tell the difference in meaning beticeen — 

1. She confides in (to) her sister. 

2. He differs from (with) me. 

3. We are disappointed of (in) our guests. 

4. He is in (at) New York. 

5. He waited on (for) his mother. 

ii. Tell what prepositions are required with these words: Ab- 
horrence, absolve, accord, acquit, adapted, affinity, agree, agreeable, 
averse, bestow, change *(verb), comply, confer, confide, conform, in 
conformity, convenient, conversant, correspond, dependent, deroga- 
tory, differ, different, disappointed, dissent (verb), eager, exception, 
expert, glad, independent, involve, martyr, need (noun), part (verb), 
profit (verb), reconcile, taste (noun), thirst (noun), worthy. 

EXERCISE LXXXIII. 

Insert the proper preposition in each blank : — l 

1. Please wait — me ; I will come as soon as I can. 

2. She married him — her father's consent. 

3. The cathedral was rich — all kinds of golden vessels. 

4. Moses received the laws — the people on Mount Sinai. 

5. Evangeline died — Philadelphia. 

6. — whom did they rent the house ? 

7. — whom can I rely ? 

8. The boy w^ent in search — his sister. 

9. The streams — this region abound — trout. 

10. The traces of a struggle were seen -— the tree. 

11. They got — the carriage and rode away. 

12. He has moved — New York, where he lives — an elegant 
mansion. 

13. He thought that he put the money — his pocket, but he found 
it — his shoe. 

14. The paper was cut — small strips. 

15. We stood — the landing. 

16. The firemen went — the roof of the house. 

1 In this exercise the pupil must rely chiefly on his knowledge of English 
usage or on a dictionary. In some of the sentences more than one prepo- 
sition is allowable, according to the sense. 



138 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

17. He is down — the village. 

18. What was the matter — him ? 

19. He died — a fever. 

20. When we were — Rome we stayed — a small hotel. 

21. He lives — a frame house — Cambridge. 

22. Her unladylike behavior gave occasion — many unpleasant 
remarks. 

23. Caterpillars change — butterflies. 

24. She lives — College Street, — No. 1009. 

25. It was conducive — my comfort. 

26. The calm was followed — a sudden storm. 

27. The soil of Virginia is adapted — the production of hemp and 
tobacco. 

28. The flower is excellently adapted — catching insects. 

29. Congress consists — a Senate and a House of Representatives. 

30. — what does happiness consist ? 

31. — some sentences the conjunction is omitted. 

32. A judge who has an interest in a case is disqualified — hear- 
ing it. 

33. He was accused — robbery. 

34. He died — starvation, she — pneumonia. 

35. You may rely — what I say, and confide — my honesty. 
3i>. The bird flew — the tree. 

37. He let the knife fall — the creek. 

38. What is my grief in comparison — that which she bears ? 

39. Most persons feel an abhorrence — snakes. 

40. He aspires — political distinction. 

41. We were disappointed — the pleasure of seeing you. 

42. There is need — great watchfulness. 

43. I have been — New Orleans, and I am now going — New 
York. 

44. We lived — a little village — the South. 

45. I find no difficulty — keeping up with my class. 

46. — every class of people selfishness prevails. 

47. He divided his estate — his son, his daughter, and his nephew. 

48. He is very different — his brother. 

49. This was different — what I expected. 

50. Compare your work — his, and you will see the difference. 

51. My old yacht was small in comparison — this. 

52. He is adapted — an out-door life. 



OF PREPOSITIONS 139 

53. His disobedience was attended — serious consequences. 

54. His mother was overcome — grief. 

55. We were accompanied — our parents. 

56. A man should try to rid himself — prejudice. 

57. He will profit — his experience. 

58. The room was redolent — the perfume. 

59. You must conform — the rules. 

60. Fondness — horses was his leading trait. 

61. We felt the need — some adviser. 

62. I cannot reconcile this assertion — your other one. 

63. Let us cut it — three equal parts. 

64. He is acquitted — all blame. 

65. The Pope absolved him — his oath of allegiance. 

66. This fact does not accord — her declaration. 

67. I do not agree — you ; therefore I cannot agree — your pro- 
posal. 

68. The queen bestowed — Tennyson the title of baron. 

69. The college has conferred — my uncle the degree of Doctor of 
Divinity. 

70. The two emperors conferred — each other for an hour. 

71. He is conversant — many languages. 

72. They were independent — each other. 

73. His sisters are dependent — him. 

74. That is not derogatory — their character. 

75. I dissent — that proposition. 

76. We are glad — his promotion. 

77. He has a taste — poetry ; she, a thirst — knowledge. 

78. In 1842 he emerged — obscurity. 

79. His property was merged — the common stock. 

80. She often went — town shopping. 

81. He plunged — the deepest part of the lake. 

82. These bands of Indians were accompanied — settlers from De- 
troit. 

83. The settlers were in company — Indians. 

84. His proposal is likely to stir up ill-will — the various classes. 

85. The Greeks, fearing that they would be surrounded, wheeled 
about and halted, with the river — their backs. 

86. We are within three miles — Salisbury. 



140 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

Omitted Prepositions. 1 — " Beware of omitting a preposi- 
tion that is needed to make the meaning clear or the sen- 
tence grammatical." 2 

"Before 'home' the preposition 'at' should never be 
omitted, but the preposition 'to' is always omitted: e. </., 
' I am going home.' " l 

EXERCISE LXXXIV. 

Insert the necessary prepositions in the folloioing sentences : — 

1. What use is this piece of ribbon? 

2. The oak was five feet diameter. 

3. My business prevented me attending the last meeting of the 
committee, 

4. I could not refrain shedding tears. 

5. The remark is worthy the fool that made it. 

6. It is unworthy your notice. 

7. He lives the other side the river. 

8. He fled the country, and went either to England or France. 

9. Ignorance is the mother of fear as well as admiration. 

10. Religion is a comfort in youth as well as old age. 

11. It's no use to give up. 

12. This side the mountain the country is thickly settled ; the 
other side there are few inhabitants. 

13. I wrote Mr. Knapp to come Wednesday, and promised that he 
should find us home. 

14. Wealth is more conducive to worldliness than piety. 

15. He is not home, but I think he is coming home to-night. 

Redundant Prepositions, 2 — Beware of inserting preposi- 
tions which are not needed. 

EXERCISE LXXXV. 

Strike out the redundant prepositions : — 

1. He met a boy of about eighteen years old. 

2. Cadmus stood pondering upon what he should do. 

3. Let a gallows be erected of fifty cubits high. 

4. Hercules was very willing to take the world off from his shoul- 
ders and give it to Atlas again. 

1 " Foundations," p. 149. 2 Ibid., p. 150. 



OF PREPOSITIONS i 141 

5. No one can help from loving her. 

6. From thence in two days the Greeks marched twenty miles. 

7. There was much of wisdom in their plan. 

8. A workman fell off of the ladder. 

9. On one day I caught five trout, on another twelve. 

10. We must examine into this subject more carefully. 

11. A child copies after its parents. 

12. The proposal to go to the woods was approved of by all of the 
boys. 

13. At about what time will father return ? 

14. After having heard his story, I gave him a dollar. 

15. The spring is near to the house. 

16. Bruno followed on after his master. 

17. Wanted, a young man of from sixteen to twenty-one years of 
age. 

18. They went on to the steamer soon after dinner. 

19. Look out of the window. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
OF CONJUNCTIONS 

Vulgarisms. 1 — Every educated person is expected to 
know the correct use of the following words :— 

Like, as.— In good use like is never a conjunction, and therefore it 
cannot be used instead of as to introduce a clause. It is incorrect to 
say, " Walk like I walk;" but one may say, "He walks like me," or 
" He looks like his grandfather." 2 

Except, without, unless.— Except, which was originally a past-parti- 
ciple, was once in good use as a conjunction; but in modern use it 
has been displaced as a conjunction by unless, and is now a preposi- 
tion only. We may say, "All went except me," but we may not say, 
"Except you go with me, I will stay at home." Another word not 
in good use as a conjunction, but often heard instead of " unless," is 
without. 

EXERCISE LXXXVI. 

Insert the proper word in each blank : — 

Like, as. 

1. Do — I do. 

2. She fears a chicken — you fear a snake. 

3. Thin bushy hair falls down on each side of his face somewhat 
— Longfellow's hair did in his later life. 

4. I wish I could sing — she can. 

5. I will be a lawyer — my father. 

6. I will be a lawyer — my father was. 

7. She looks — (if) she were crying. 

8. He acted — (if) he were guilty. 

9. Our snow-tunnel looked — we imagined Aladdin's cave looked. 

10. He treated me — a cat treats a mouse. 

11. Seventy -five cents a day will not feed those men — they wish 
to be fed. 

1 ''Foundations," p. 152. 2 See page 109. 



OF CONJUNCTIONS 143 

12. The lines in this stanza are not forced — in other stanzas. 

13. If I were a boy — "Ralph is, I would try to stop the thing. 

Except, without, unless. 

14. I do not know how my horse got away — somebody untied 
him. 

15. Do not come — you hear from me. 

16. I will not go — father is willing, 

17. I will not go — father's consent. 

18. — you study better, you will be dropped. 

19. It will be cool to-morrow — a hot wave comes. 

20. I cannot go — rnone}'. 

21. I cannot go — father sends me some money. 

22. I will be there promptly — I hear from you. 

23. Do not write — you feel in the mood for it. 

24. She has no fault — diffidence. 

25. She has no fault — . it be diffidence. 

26. He cannot enlist — with his guardian's consent. 

Misused Conjunctions. 1 — Conjunctions are few in number 
and are more definite in their meanings than prepositions. 
Most errors in using them spring from confused thinking 
or hasty writing. " A close reasoner and a good writer in 
general may be known by his pertinent use of connec- 
tives." 2 

And.— And has, generally speaking, the meaning of "in addition 
to." 

But.— But implies some exception, opposition, or contrast. Equiv- 
alent, or nearly equivalent, expressions are "however," "on the 
other hand," "yet," "nevertheless." 

As— "As has so many meanings that it is better, when possible, to 
use a conjunction that covers less ground." 3 

Because, for, since.— The difference between these words is chiefly 
a difference in emphasis. "We will not go, because it is raining " is 
the strongest way of expressing the relation of cause and effect. In 
"Since it is raining, we will not go," the emphasis is shifted from 

1 "Foundations," p. 152. 

2 Coleridge : Table Talk. Quoted by A. S. Hill in Principles of Rhetoric. 

3 "Foundations," p. 153. 



144 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

the cause to the effect, which becomes the prominent idea. In " We 
will not go, for it is raining," the reason, "it is raining," is an- 
nounced as itself a bit of news. Often the choice between these 
words is decided by the ear. 

How.— How properly means "in what manner" or "to what ex- 
tent." It is often misused for "that" to introduce an object clause. 

Nor, ov—Nor is the correlative of neitlier, sometimes of other nega- 
tives. Or is the correlative of either. 

Therefore, so.— In the sense of "for this reason," therefore is pref- 
erable to so, since so has other meanings. 

Though.— Though means "notwithstanding," "in spite of the fact 
that." 

As if, as though.— "As if is, on the whole, preferable to as though"* 

When, while.— When means " at the time that ;" while, "during the 
time that," " as long as." " When fixes attention on a date or period ; 
while fixes attention on the lapse of time." 2 

EXERCISE LXXXVII. 

Insert the proper conjunction in each blank, if a conjunction is 
needed. Do not confine your choice to those mentioned above : — 

1. Roland was mild and modest, — Charles was coarse and boast- 
ful. 

2. — they were without provisions, they thought they should 
starve. 

3. In Addison's day innumerable vices were prevalent, — chief 
among them was the custom of drinking. 

4. Charles was a large, brawny fellow, — Orlando was a slender 
youth. 

5. When the barn was full of people, the doors were suddenly 
shut and bolted — the barn was set on fire. 

6. Hereward's men wanted booty, — Hereward took them to the 
Golden Borough. 

7. He read a short — interesting account of "Theobald's." 

8. Longfellow received a good education — he was not a poor boy. 

9. He was disappointed in the speed of his yacht, — he had ex- 
pected her to be very fast. 

10. The man said "to sell" was not needed on the sign — no one 
would expect the hats to be given away. 

1 "Foundations," p. 156. 2 Ibid., p. 15?. 



OF CONJUNCTIONS 145 

11. There is no doubt — the earth is spherical. 

12. I know very little about the "Arabian Nights" — I have 
never read that book. 

13. When Gulliver began to pull, the ships would not move — 
their anchors held them. 

14. He had to be cautious in using his Bible — at that time read- 
ing it was prohibited ; — he fastened it with tapes on the underside 
of a stool. 

15. The Liberal Arts Building at Chicago had twice as much iron 
in its frame — the Brooklyn Bridge. 

16. The lumbermen must keep open a road to the railroad, — all 
their provisions must be brought from the city. 

17. Scarcely had I thrown in my line — I felt a nibble. 

18. The fly seems to have been created for no other purpose — to 
purify the air. 

19. At first you wonder where the boats are, — on entering the 
grove you can see only a small cabin. 

20. I do not doubt — he will succeed. 

21. I cannot deny — he is honest. 

22. He was dismissed, not so much because he was too young — 
because he was indolent. 

23. The land is equally adapted to farming — to pasturage. 

24. Proportion is — simple — compound. 

25. I wonder — he will come. 

26. The last of the horses had scarcely crossed the bridge — the 
head of the third battalion appeared on the other side. 

27. He looked as — he could play football. 

28. — I saw her, she was young — beautiful. 

29. Bruce spoke of himself as being neither Scotch — English. 

30. I could — buy — borrow it. 

31. He has no love — veneration for his superiors. 

32. There was no place so hidden — so remote — the plague did 
not find it. 

33. We need not, — do not, complain of our lot. 

34. He could not deny — he had borrowed money. 

35. There is no question — the universe has bounds. 

36. A corrupt government is nothing else — a reigning sin. 

37. She thinks, I regret to say, of little else — clothes. 

38. O fairest flower, no sooner blown — blasted. 

39. There is no other hat here — mine. 

7 



146 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

40. — you have come, I will go with you. 

41. — Virgil was the better artist, Homer was the greater genius. 

42. He has not decided — he will let me go to college. 

43. Sheep are white — black. 

44. The King has no arbitrary power ; your Lordships have not ; 
— the Commons ; — the whole Legislature. 

45. No tie of gratitude — of honor could bind him. 

46. She had no sooner arrived — she prepared to go boating. 

47. Scarcely had she left the house — she returned. 

48. He was punished, — he was guilty. 

49. He was punished, — he was not guilty. 

50. We cannot go — we finish our task. 

51. — the rain came down in torrents, we started for the lake. 

52. She could — dance — sing, — she played the piano. 

53. I do not know — I shall walk — ride. 

54. Hardly had he left the room — the prisoner attempted to es- 
cape. 

55. The chances are ten to one — he will forget it. 

56. Stand up so — you can be seen. 

Omitted Conjunctions. — Careless writers sometimes omit 
conjunctions that are necessary either to the grammar or 
to the sense. A common form of this fault is illustrated 
in "This is as good if not better than that " — a sentence in 
which "as" is omitted after " as good." The best way to 
correct the sentence is to recast it, thus : " This is as good 
as that, if not better." 

EXERCISE LXXXVIII. 

Correct the faults in these sentences: — 

1. Ralph is as young or younger than Harry. 

2. Cedar is more durable but not so hard as oak. 

3. I never heard any one speak more fluently or so wittily as he. 

4. She is fairer but not so amiable as her sister. 

5. Though not so old, he is wiser than his brother. 

Redundant Conjunctions. 1 — Careless writers sometimes 
insert conjunctions that are useless or worse than useless. 

3 See "Foundations," pp. 208-211. 



OF CONJUNCTIONS 147 

A common form of this fault is the use in certain cases of 
" and " or " but " before the words " who," " which," 
" when," or " where," which are themselves connectives : 
as, " The challenge was accepted by Orlando, a young man 
little known up to that time, but to whom Rosalind had 
taken a great liking." If the relative clause introduced 
by " who," " which," " when," or " where " is to be joined 
to a preceding relative clause, the conjunction is proper : 
as, " The challenge was accepted by Orlando, a young man 
ivho was little known at that time, bat to whom Rosalind 
had taken a great liking." 

EXERCISE LXXXIX. 

Which conjunctions in these sentences are redundant? — 

1. I have again been so fortunate as to obtain the assistance of 
Dr. Jones, a teacher of great experience, and whose ideas are quite 
in harmony with my own. 

2. Franklin had noticed for some time the extreme dirtiness of 
the streets, and especially of the street that lie lived on. 

3. This animal was considered as irresistible. 

4. But how to get him there was a problem. But it was decided 
to convey him on one of the wagons used in carrying the Emperor's 
men-of-w 7 ar from the w T oods, where they were made, to the water. 

5. He forgot to pay for the wine — a shortness of memory 
common witli such men, and which his host did not presume to 
correct. 

6. Next came Louis, Duke of Orleans, the first prince of the 
blood royal, and to whom the attendants rendered homage as the 
future king. 

7. So from all this you can see that such things are not impossi- 
ble. 

8. Her expression of countenance induced most persons to ad- 
dress her with a deference inconsistent with her station, and which 
nevertheless she received with easy composure. 

9. Our escort consisted of MacGregor, and five or six of the hand- 
somest, best armed, and most athletic mountaineers of his band, and 
whom he had generally in immediate attendance upon his own per- 
son. 



148 PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ENGLISH 

10. The little town of Lambtos, Mrs. Gardiner's former home, 
and where she had lately learned that some acquaintance still re- 
mained. 

11. He spoke in a deep and low tone, but which nevertheless was 
heard from one end of the hall to the other. 

Misplaced Correlatives. — When conjunctions are used as 
correlatives, as "both-and," " either-or," each of the corre- 
lated words should be so placed as to indicate clearly what 
ideas are to be connected in thought. This principle is 
violated in "He not only visited Paris, but Berlin also" 
In this sentence the position of "not only " before the verb 
" visited " leads one to expect some corresponding verb in 
the second part of the sentence ; in fact, however, the two 
connected words are " Paris " and " Berlin ;" " visited " ap- 
plies to both. This meaning is clearly indicated by put- 
ting " not only " before " Paris :" thus, " He visited not 
only Paris, but Berlin also" As a rule the word after the 
first correlative should be the same part of speech as the 
word after the second correlative. 

EXERCISE XC. 

Correct the errors of position in — 

1. Few complaints were made either by the men or the women. 

2. Search-lights are not useful only on ships, but also on land. 

3. Adversity both teaches to think and to be patient. 

4. My uncle gave me not only the boat, but also taught me to 
row it. 

5. The prisoner was not only accused of robbery, but of treason. 

6. The wise ruler does not aim at the punishment of offenders, 
but at the prevention of offences. 

7. The king was weak both in body and mind. 

8. He either is stupid or insolent. 

9. He worked not to provide for the future, but the present. 

10. Every composition is liable to criticism both in regard to its 
design and to its execution. 

11, The gods are either angry or nature is too powerful. 



OF CONJUNCTIONS 149 

12. We are neither acquainted with the Doctor nor with his fam- 

iiy. 

13. In estimating the work of Luther, we must neither forget the 
temper of the man nor the age in which he lived. 

14. The wise teacher should not aim to repress, but to encourage 
his pupils. 

15. Such rules are useless both for teachers and pupils. 

16. Her success is neither the result of cleverness nor of studious- 
ness. 



APPENDIX 



SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS 

The following suggestions are made in answer to many in- 
quiries from teachers who perceive the rare excellence of the 
" Foundations of Rhetoric," but who do not clearly see, be- 
cause of the novel method of the book, how to turn its merits 
to account in their class-rooms. The suggestions outline one 
way in which the book has been used to great advantage. 

It should never be forgotten that the illustrative sentences 
in the " Foundations " have no value except as they help the 
student to grasp a principle that he can apply in his own use 
of language. In every case the emphasis should be laid on the 
principle which is announced or illustrated. Merely learning 
the corrected sentences by heart is useless and should not be 
permitted. 

In taking a class over Part I., which treats of words, it is 
the writer's practice to assign a short lesson — from one to 
three pages — in connection with every recitation in English. 
The leading ideas and most typical sentences in each lesson 
are privately marked in the teacher's book with colored pencil, 
so that they may readily catch his eye, and from five to twelve 
minutes of each recitation period are taken up with a rapid 
questioning on these leading ideas and typical sentences. 
Corrections or answers unaccompanied by reasons are not ac- 
cepted. Attention is always fixed, not on the form of the 
illustrative sentence, but on the principle of usage under dis- 
cussion. Pupils would rather commit to memory the sen- 



152 APPENDIX 

tences than trouble themselves about reasons ; but they will 
master reasons when they find they must. After principles 
have been mastered, exercises in the choice of forms and 
words are needed in order that knowledge may be converted 
into habit. 

In Parts II. and III. the lessons are equally short and the 
emphasis is unceasingly laid on the question " Why V If the 
subject is difficult, it is desirable, at the time that the lesson 
is assigned, to lead the class over the text and some of the 
illustrative sentences in order to open, as it were, the eyes of 
the pupils. Since these parts of the book treat not of single 
w r ords, but of sentences and paragraphs, recitations on them 
seem to call for the use of pencil or chalk. One successful 
teacher conducts the recitation with books open, requiring 
her pupils to cover the correct sentences with a strip of paper 
while they explain and correct the faults in the incorrect sen- 
tences. The writer's practice is to paste the faulty sentences 
on cards of convenient size and thickness — the arrangement 
of columns is such that the sentences can all be cut from one 
old book — and to distribute them among eight or ten pupils at 
the beginning of the recitation hour. While other matters are 
being attended to, these pupils write the sentences in correct 
form on the blackboard, and, when the time comes, give their 
reasons for the changes which they have made. Their work 
is discussed, if necessary, by the whole class. Reviews and 
written tests should be frequent. As fast as the various prin- 
ciples explained and illustrated in Parts II. and III. are stud- 
ied, the attention of pupils should be immediately turned to 
their own writing. It will be far more profitable for them to 
correct their own offences against clearness, force, ease, and 
unity than to correct similar offences committed by others. 
For this reason the Practical Exercises in English contains 
no exercises on the subjects discussed in Parts II. and III. 
of the " Foundations." 



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